Chelsea owner Todd Boehly named chairman as Marina Granovskaia exit confirmed
Chelsea have confirmed that co-owner Todd Boehly will be the football club’s new chairman and that influential director Marina Granovskaia is to leave Stamford Bridge.
American Boehly led the consortium that bought the club from Roman Abramovich last month after the Russian oligarch’s assets were frozen by the UK government.
He is to be joined on the new board by the two co-founders of Clearlake Capital, which has become the biggest shareholder in Chelsea, Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, and the company’s managing director James Pade.
Other members of Boehly’s consortium, Guggenheim Partners chief Mark Walter, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and British property magnate Jonathan Goldstein have also been appointed directors, along with music publicist Barbara Charone and columnist Lord Finkelstein.
They replace outgoing chairman Bruce Buck and other long-serving Abramovich associates including Granovskaia and Eugene Tenenbaum.
“As custodians of Chelsea FC, we now begin executing our long-term vision and plan for the Club, creating an outstanding experience for its passionate, loyal fans, and continuing to challenge for top honours in line with Chelsea FC’s decorated history,” said Boehly.
“Working together, side-by-side, we are firmly committed to winning, both on and off the pitch. For us, that effort has begun.”
Eghbali and Feliciano added: “As the new era of the Boehly-Clearlake ownership begins, we are excited to build a championship organisation and grow Chelsea FC as a global platform.
“We look forward to backing Thomas Tuchel, Emma Hayes and their teams, and will provide proactive, unbending support to make Chelsea’s loyal fans and our partners proud.”
Granovskaia rose from being Abramovich’s PA to one of his most trusted lieutenants at Chelsea, taking a prominent role in transfer and contract negotiations.
She is also set to leave after 19 years in west London but the club said she would continue to be on call during the summer transfer window if needed.
“Chelsea FC and Ms Granovskaia have agreed that she will remain available to Boehly and the club for the duration of the current transfer window, to the extent required to support the transition,” the club said.
Boehly added: “’We thank Marina for her many years of excellent service to the club and wish her all the best in her future ventures.”