Vinai Venkatesham

Vinai Venkatesham OBE
Born	United Kingdom
Occupation	Football administrator
Known for	Football administration
Title	Former CEO of Arsenal

Vinaichandra Guduguntla Venkatesham OBE (/ˌvɪŋkəˈteɪʃəm/ VINK-ə-TAY-shəm[1]) is a British-Indian football administrator. He served as the Chief Executive of Arsenal from 2020 to 2024.[2]

Life and career

An employee of Arsenal since 2010 in a variety of roles,[3] he was appointed Managing Director to replace the outgoing Ivan Gazidis.[4] Immediately before the promotion, he was the chief commercial officer.[5]

He worked at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games prior to joining Arsenal, and is currently a non-executive director of the British Olympic Association.[6] He serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the European Club Association and on the Board of the Joint Venture (UCCSA) between UEFA and the European Club Association.[7] He has previously been a non-executive director of the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London. In September 2023, it was announced that he would step down from his position as Arsenal's CEO in summer 2024.[8]

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to sport.[9]

References

1. "Arsenal football club's CEO, Vinai Venkatesham addresses the room at #AST20". YouTube. August 29, 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
2. "Club Update". Arsenal.com. 15 August 2020.
3. "Arsenal's new leaders | Who are Venkatesham and Sanllehi?". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
4. "Gazidis leaves Arsenal to join AC Milan". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
5. "Ivan Gazidis: Arsenal chief executive leaves club to join AC Milan - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
6. "Arsenal's new leaders - Who are Venkatesham and Sanllehi?". 18 September 2018.
7. "VINAI VENKATESHAM". European Club Assoication. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
8. "CEO Vinai Venkatesham to step down next summer". Arsenal F.C. 14 September 2023.
9. "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N16.