One in, one out at Chelsea as Jurasek named new CEO and Glick leaves after 10 months
Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of a new chief executive, Chris Jurasek, and the departure of president of business Tom Glick after just 10 months at the club.
Jurasek has no high-level experience in sport but is a trusted lieutenant of Clearlake Capital, the US fund which bankrolled last year’s Todd Boehly-led takeover of the Blues.
He is set to assume the running of “all business areas of the club” from Glick, a former president of NFL team the Carolina Panthers and previously an executive at Manchester City parent company City Football Group.
Glick’s departure reportedly follows an external investigation into his handling of complaints about historic unwanted sexual advances made by Chelsea’s short-lived commercial director Damian Willoughby towards a female agent. Willoughby was sacked in September.
It continues a year of upheaval since Boehly’s £2.5bn buyout of sanctioned oligarch Roman Abramovich which has seen the club spend more than £500m on new players and hire a second new manager, Mauricio Pochettino, this week.
Jurasek’s CV reflects a career spent in manufacturing and technology. The American is executive chairman at EagleView, which provides aerial imaging for property measurement, and has been an operating executive at Clearlake for more than nine years.
Chairman Boehly and co-owners Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss called Jurasek “an outstanding executive who will add significant value to Chelsea” and “a collaborative and senior leader with experience across a diverse range of companies”.
Chelsea co-controlling owners and Clearlake founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano said: “Chris’s skill and expertise will help us to drive the club forward in all areas, particularly in supporting our long-term plans for Chelsea.
“Our focus will continue to be on ensuring the club is competitive and sustainable both from a sporting and business perspective, with a talented and ambitious leadership team.”
Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, who have also joined Chelsea since last year’s takeover, will continue to run the sporting side of the club.
“I’m delighted to be joining Chelsea, a club which is loved and followed all over the world. I’m enormously proud to be leading it into the next chapter in its rich history,” said Jurasek.
“We have huge opportunities to grow on and off the pitch and to engage our exceptional fans both in London and wherever they are supporting us from. I’m looking forward to working closely with our owners, leadership and everyone around the club.”
Chelsea said Glick had “decided to step down from his role to pursue other opportunities”.
Boehly, Eghbali, Feliciano, Walter and Wyss added: “We’d like to thank Tom for all his efforts and support to us during the first year of our ownership and helping Chelsea position the club for future success.”
His arrival follows confirmation of former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager Pochettino’s appointment on a two-year contract that will begin on 1 July.