Stuart Hunt - new President of Business Operations

[ClaretTony]

Just seen this on the club website. Seems to make it appear that he's just joining the club but he's been a director since the ALK takeover.



Burnley Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Stuart Hunt as the Club’s President of Business Operations - responsible for driving revenues and expanding the club’s presence home and abroad.

Stuart, who has a wealth of experience both in financial services and business operations in the US, said : “I’m very excited to be joining Burnley in this official role. This is a great opportunity to help push this club even further forward with everything we do off the pitch. Sharing our vision and ambition around the world while making sure our local community is at the heart of all that we do.”

Chairman Alan Pace added : “We’re delighted to have Stuart joining us as President of Business Operations. His skills and experience will be vital as we continue to improve the infrastructure of this football club off the pitch.”

[FeedTheArf]

Is this a backdoor way of ALK directors getting paid positions in the club? Not that that is necessarily a bad thing if they're genuinely driving revenue streams up and essentially paying for themselves.

[Ightenhill_Claret]

I presume this means he's going to be 'working' full time at the club now as opposed to 'just' sitting on the board/being a director.

Guess it also means that he'll be drawing a salary now as well.

[ŽižkovClaret]

This is more to do with the crypto bo blockchain bothering Fan zone sponsor article, but i do wish they would stop talking about "activations" as if that is anything other than corporate sales speak that means nowt to your average fan.

They clearly mean "events" or "themed days" so just bloody say it you bad meffs!

[ClaretTony]

I presume this means he's going to be 'working' full time at the club now as opposed to 'just' sitting on the board/being a director.

Guess it also means that he'll be drawing a salary now as well.

I thought he had been working there full time since the takeover with Alan Pace and Mike Smith. I'd assumed they were all drawing salaries given they are there full time.

[Ightenhill_Claret]

Yeah that's a good point Tony - the doc certainly had Hunt front and centre of a lot of the work being done and there did look to be something in the accounts which suggested that some were drawing a salary.

I know Pace gets a lot of stick (and the jury is still very much out from my point of view) but certainly from the doc, it's clear that he and Smith and Hunt do run the club full time (which I presume MG and Jon B didn't)

[Chester Perry]

Is this a backdoor way of ALK directors getting paid positions in the club? Not that that is necessarily a bad thing if they're genuinely driving revenue streams up and essentially paying for themselves.

I presume this means he's going to be 'working' full time at the club now as opposed to 'just' sitting on the board/being a director.

Guess it also means that he'll be drawing a salary now as well.

The last accounts showed a management fee of £1.5m was taken by the owners.

I have repeatedly stated that it is a good thing that directors take a salary if their work is primarily for the benefit of the club - this goes back to Garlick's tenure, I see it as being part of good governance.

The preference, from my perspective, would be for them to draw a salary so it is reported as such and also carries the requirement to disclose the highest salary that a director receives. I suspect such incomes will continue as management fees - though a combination of salary and management fee could provoke an interesting set of responses, dependent on the sums involved.

For now the key is that directors taking roles such as this demonstrates that they are being proactive in trying to grow non tv revenues - a need that has been very long standing, though had improved, which has (shall we say) stalled since Covid. The recognition momentum and engagement provided by recently joined co-owners should serve the club (and owners) well in this endeavour.

[ClaretTony]

Yeah that's a good point Tony - the doc certainly had Hunt front and centre of a lot of the work being done and there did look to be something in the accounts which suggested that some were drawing a salary.

I know Pace gets a lot of stick (and the jury is still very much out from my point of view) but certainly from the doc, it's clear that he and Smith and Hunt do run the club full time (which I presume MG and Jon B didn't)

I think it all changed from directors running the club when Barry Kilby became chairman. Prior to that the top positions in effect were held by the directors. BK brought in Andrew Watson as general manager (later chief exec) and then followed a number of senior appointments. So, BK and later JB & MG directed but paid others to carry out the running of the business.

It's all changed back to an extent, from what I can see, with directors having much more active roles. Very early in the ALK period, they removed the then CEO Neil Hart. At the time, they reported that they would be recruiting a replacement but until then, Alan Pace would carry out those duties. I think that still applies.

There isn't a right or wrong way to do it at all, I'm happy with whichever way they choose to do it but, looking back, Barry Kilby was, and still is, running his own business as are John B & Mike Garlick.

[Chester Perry]

I think it all changed from directors running the club when Barry Kilby became chairman. Prior to that the top positions in effect were held by the directors. BK brought in Andrew Watson as general manager (later chief exec) and then followed a number of senior appointments. So, BK and later JB & MG directed but paid others to carry out the running of the business.

It's all changed back to an extent, from what I can see, with directors having much more active roles. Very early in the ALK period, they removed the then CEO Neil Hart. At the time, they reported that they would be recruiting a replacement but until then, Alan Pace would carry out those duties. I think that still applies.

There isn't a right or wrong way to do it at all, I'm happy with whichever way they choose to do it but, looking back, Barry Kilby was, and still is, running his own business as are John B & Mike Garlick.

Stuart Hunt is also still engaged in his own businesses, including his John's Franchise in the UK under HB Pizza Ltd which I understand run out of a van(s) and can be found at festivals and such, as well as the fanzone

https://find-and-update.company-informa ... ng-history

[ClaretTony]

Stuart Hunt is also still engaged in his own businesses, including his John's Franchise in the UK under HB Pizza Ltd which I understand run out of a van(s) and can be found at festivals and such, as well as the fanzone

https://find-and-update.company-informa ... ng-history

Not at the fanzone any more I don't think

[Papabendi]

BK brought in Andrew Watson as general manager (later chief exec)

The Count.

[Socrates]

It does look as though we’re announcing a lot of new commercial deals at the moment - various partners for various things.

I take Zizkov’s point that it doesn’t matter to the average fan - totally agree. But if it brings money in to the club which extends our budget and makes us more competitive I can live with the odd spam tweet and logos on the Turf.

[ŽižkovClaret]

It does look as though we’re announcing a lot of new commercial deals at the moment - various partners for various things.

I take Zizkov’s point that it doesn’t matter to the average fan - totally agree. But if it brings money in to the club which extends our budget and makes us more competitive I can live with the odd spam tweet and logos on the Turf.

Oh the deals are great, its just the wording, as someone whose job involves such things, that seems lazy and careless. Surely we have someone who can write a bit of copy? Maybe Ashlyn could do it instead of certain video projects