Vinai Venkatesham, Chief Executive

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Vinai Venkatesham, Chief Executive

Postby Zenith » Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:03 am

https://www.arsenal.com/news/club-names ... eads-italy

Club names new leaders as Ivan heads to Italy

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We can announce that Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham will lead the club following a decision by chief executive Ivan Gazidis to join AC Milan.

Raul, head of football relations, has been appointed as head of football, and Vinai, currently chief commercial officer, becomes managing director.

Josh Kroenke, deputy chairman of Arsenal’s majority owner Kroenke Sports and Entertainment UK, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Ivan. We will miss the wisdom, insight, and energy he brought to our club on a daily basis over the past decade. We are confident we have outstanding people in Raul and Vinai, and we look forward to working with them and coach Unai Emery to continue to move the club forward on and off the pitch.”

Club chairman Sir Chips Keswick said: “Ivan has led Arsenal with skill and dedication and leaves us in a strong position. The club has been transformed and he has recruited talented people, such as Raul, Vinai and of course Unai Emery, who will take us to future success.”

Raul joined us in February after 16 years at Barcelona where he was director of football. Vinai arrived in 2010 from London 2012 and has overseen all our commercial activities.

Raul, who will lead our football activities, said: “Although I joined Arsenal just months ago, I've felt embraced by this great club and part of its family from the first day. I will do everything possible to maintain our strong values which will be as fundamental to our future as they have been in our past. Vinai and I will need everyone's help, to do everything right and secure the success everyone connected to Arsenal wants. I sincerely thank Arsenal’s board for their trust in us and thank Ivan for bringing me to this great club, and for consistently supporting me every day, in every way. It's with overwhelming pride and utmost excitement that I face this new opportunity.”

Vinai, who will oversee all business operations, said: “From the day I joined Arsenal I have always considered it a privilege to serve this great football club, so it’s an honour to take up the position of managing director and lead the club alongside Raul. Together we will work tirelessly with the extraordinary staff we have at Arsenal to respect and enhance our unique history, heritage and values; with the overall objective to bring success to our millions of fans all around the world and make them proud of their club. I thank Stan and Josh Kroenke and the rest of the board for their trust in me, and Ivan for all the support he has given me since I joined the club in 2010.”

Ivan will leave by the end of October and becomes chief executive at AC Milan on December 1. He said: “For the last 10 years I have been privileged to dedicate myself to this great club. Arsenal is entering a new chapter and I have done everything I can to ensure that it is strongly placed to take on that challenge. This includes world-class facilities and outstanding leaders in every sector who carry the values of the club, including, of course, Unai Emery, Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham in whom I have enormous faith.

“We have been building on the club’s progressive social values, leading the way on the women’s game, diversity and inclusion, and establishing the Arsenal Foundation. This will remain central to the club’s philosophy.

“Although it is very hard to do - the hardest decision of my life - I believe that, after 10 years, it is the right time for me to step aside to allow new leadership, energy and ideas to take the club forward into this exciting new era. I believe in the positive force of change, both for me and for the club. I am excited to see what the future holds for this great club and I am energised by a new personal challenge with AC Milan.

“My sincere thanks go to Stan and Josh Kroenke for their support and guidance on everything we have done. To Sir Chips Keswick, Lord Phil Harris, Ken Friar and my wonderful management team and staff, on and off the field, to Arsène Wenger, Unai Emery and to the fans of this giant and incredible club, thank you for your immense support and friendship over so many years and for the wonderful privilege of being part of the journey.

"We lived through many emotions together, the highs and the lows of football, and I am proud to be able to say that I gave this club and its fantastic people everything that I had in me. I am excited and energised for the future for myself and for Arsenal Football Club and I will always hold it in my heart.”
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Phil71 » Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:05 pm

This guy Vinai Venkatesham has had a remit to manage commercial and marketing operations on a global basis since 2017 - which includes sponsorship, strategy, ticketing, hospitality, retail, marketing, fan services, customer relationships...

I guess he can step straight into his new role without much issue.
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby UFGN » Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:17 pm

What the f**k do you do Ivan?

Spend a decade in another guy's shadow then bail out when you get what you wanted

Good luck to Mr V
Corinthians 15:57; But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus

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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Zenith » Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:20 pm

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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby ag6789 » Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:51 pm

Will this be any good, managing football operation? One fellow a business manager and the other a recruiter?
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Ach » Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:10 pm

Looks like my uncle
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby UFGN » Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:35 pm

ag6789 wrote:Will this be any good, managing football operation? One fellow a business manager and the other a recruiter?


To clarify

Raul Sanllehi was previously in charge of football relations, ie making sure all the footballs owned by the Club got on ok with each other

He's now head of Football. That means he actually goes down to Sports Direct and chooses which footballs to buy
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Arsenal Tone » Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:57 pm

UFGN wrote:
ag6789 wrote:Will this be any good, managing football operation? One fellow a business manager and the other a recruiter?


To clarify

Raul Sanllehi was previously in charge of football relations, ie making sure all the footballs owned by the Club got on ok with each other

He's now head of Football. That means he actually goes down to Sports Direct and chooses which footballs to buy
:grin:
Raya/Ramsdale
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???/Jorginho
Odegaard/Smith Rowe----Rice/???
Saka/Jesus-------------------Martinelli/Trossard
???/Havertz
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Sims » Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:07 pm

nice to see bossman from my local morleys is making the step up in his entrepreneurship
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Zedie » Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:14 pm

Sims wrote:nice to see bossman from my local morleys is making the step up in his entrepreneurship


Boss man blessed it
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby DiamondGooner » Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:32 am

Fks sake, whatever, thanks ivan now p*ss off ivan.

Can we just get on with getting this club back on track?

I can't diss ivan, he got us emery and even better misinslat plus got rid of the fossil.

Good luck to him, but we move on.
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Postby Ach » Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:33 pm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45921441

Do these idiots not move with the times?
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Phil71 » Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:28 pm

Ach wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45921441

Do these idiots not move with the times?


Bit more content

https://arseblog.news/2018/10/raul-sanl ... ranscript/
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby theHotHead » Sun Oct 21, 2018 9:44 am

To be honest I see nothing different, whether we have a self sustaining model or we become a cheque book club, there will always be clubs with more spending power than others. Given that to be the case we can't just surrender the trophies just because we are being outspent, we have to attack it a different way.

If all 20 Premier League clubs had wealthy owners the status quo would remain, the biggest clubs would get the best players and pay the biggest wages.
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Re: Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director

Postby Zedie » Sun Oct 21, 2018 10:41 am

theHotHead wrote:To be honest I see nothing different, whether we have a self sustaining model or we become a cheque book club, there will always be clubs with more spending power than others. Given that to be the case we can't just surrender the trophies just because we are being outspent, we have to attack it a different way.

If all 20 Premier League clubs had wealthy owners the status quo would remain, the biggest clubs would get the best players and pay the biggest wages.


The point is, if we check booked, we would have won a lot more than we have so far since the oil era started. Plus we would have been able to rebuild so much quicker and retain so many more ballers that were sold off.

Think about the best 11 we could turn out over the past few years and the players we could have had but failed to
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