Shock boardroom shake-up as Sunderland chief exits
Sunderland have parted company with interim chief executive Tom Burwell in a shock move after just five months as the Black Cats’ top man.
The club said their majority owner, 29-year-old Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, will take charge of day-to-day operations at Sunderland, who this year are playing in the Europa League.
Burwell’s abrupt departure comes 24 hours before he was due to speak at a sports business conference in London on Tuesday.
The team, who returned to the English top flight last year, have been without a front-of-shirt sponsor since the start of the season following a voluntary Premier League ban on the gambling and betting sector.
The club is also without a training kit sponsor, damaging Sunderland’s potential revenue yield for this season, although that could be offset by competing in European football.
“Tom Burwell has left his position as Interim chief executive officer of Sunderland AFC with immediate effect,” a club statement said.
“The club thanks Tom for his contribution over the past five months and wishes him well for the future. Sunderland AFC owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will assume the role of Executive Chairman, working closely with the club’s senior management team to lead the club day-to-day. The club will make no further comment at this time.”
Sunderland chief exits
Burwell has also left his director role at BIA Sports Group, the holding firm established by Louis-Dreyfus to manage a sporting portfolio that includes the WSX World Supercross Championship and Ultimate Sevens rugby tournament.
Burwell had explored a potential expansion to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light home, amid reports that the club could be on the market.
“We have an opportunity with our stadium,” Burwell told City AM in June. “We have 15,000 people on a waiting list [for season tickets], we have 54 boxes here and I have 45 boxes on the waiting list.
“I also have to recognise there’s revenue at the moment that’s in the middle of that table I’m not at this moment in time bringing [forward]. We have a great relationship with the council so there are opportunities and plans where we could explore building and improving our stadium.
“The question I have back – and I’ve discussed at length internally – is whether that is the best way of spending money.”