Susan Whelan steps down as CEO

[ThurmastonFox]

5 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

It does suggest this wasn't planned.

Hmmm. You’ve seen how long it’s taken us to recruit a manager right?

[FoxinNotts]

bye Suz

[Ashley]

12 hours ago, 1972 Fox said:

I've read plenty of blue tinted specs type stuff on here, but this has to be one of the most deluded posts in recent times. 

Deluded maybe. 

 

We had it all there a year or two ago. Some strategic changes and the foundations are there. Just needs to be managed correctly with the right personal. 

 

One day..... or day one. 

[Globalfox]

9 hours ago, -sodapop said:

Just seen somebody claiming that her and Ruskin weren't on speaking terms for the past three years - surely not? 

 

Also, is this likely why we're still without a sponsor?

Maybe not quite right but something was amiss. Some time ago she moved one row behind Top and Rudkin, most away games if Rudkin went she was absent. Definitely not a warm relationship for some time from my observations. Clear separation of interests when a business Rudkin football with his close relationship to Top. 

[Clever Fox]

20 hours ago, Sean2000 said:

There seems to be a misunderstanding of how the club hierarchy works at LCFC. The DoF does not and never has reported the the CEO. He reports directly to the chairman, as does the CEO. They are equals rather than boss and subordinate. That means two things 1) she couldn't fire him and 2) she had no responsibility for footballing matters. Her role was strategic with responsibility for commercial and financial matters. 

 

It's always puzzled me why she gets stick. What happens on the footballing side is something she had no control over, or responsibility for. Financially, it was relegation #1 that sunk the ship. We lost £30m in merit payments that season, and missed PSR as a result by £29m. That is all on one man IMO - Rodgers. No competent manager gets us relegated with the squad we had in 2022/23. Rudkin's responsibly was giving him that stupidly expensive deal and not sacking him quickly enough. I also think that Rodgers (and other managers subsequently) had too much influence over transfers - leading to us over paying for players we subsequently didn't want. 

 

Whelan can be criticised for the BC Game deal but, if it was the best deal on the table at the time it's perhaps unfair, especially after the fact. Most football clubs are sponsored by betting companies and she's responsible for getting as much money in the door as she can. We'd all complain if she left millions on the table and then put up ticket prices to balance the books. And if she didn't get on with Rudkin, that's another factor in the plus column for me. 

 

I suspect she was the one keeping a rocking ship on the right path. In time, this may prove to be a really bad departure; and she won't be short of job offers. 

 

Very well said. Susan along with Vichai built King Power between them. I said at the time, The crash it was the worst thing ever that could happen for the Club and so it's proved.

Susan is in her Seventies, So it may be time for her to retire. Or it could be that she doesn't like the new set up having to answer to a Board when you know they are somewhat

incompetant.

I for one wish her well for the future and thank her for her part in our successes since the takeover. Her leaving could just be another disaster in our recent history.

I suspect Top will be eaten alive by the Sharks in this business unless he gets a proper Money man in beside him.

[Spanner73]

56 minutes ago, FoxinNotts said:

bye Suz

I bet she feels like it’s Christmas Day today and glad to be out of the absolute chaotic clown 🤡 show that our club has become. 
 

We’re a joke ! 

[Spanner73]

32 minutes ago, Clever Fox said:

Very well said. Susan along with Vichai built King Power between them. I said at the time, The crash it was the worst thing ever that could happen for the Club and so it's proved.

Susan is in her Seventies, So it may be time for her to retire. Or it could be that she doesn't like the new set up having to answer to a Board when you know they are somewhat

incompetant.

I for one wish her well for the future and thank her for her part in our successes since the takeover. Her leaving could just be another disaster in our recent history.

I suspect Top will be eaten alive by the Sharks in this business unless he gets a proper Money man in beside him.

Personally I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of our club yet. 
 

This decline is going nowhere ! 

[alanf0x]

Imagine waking up having a contract like that paid off and knowing you will never have to work alongside rudders again!! 
 

I bet the champagne is out.

[Getin]

Rudkin was and still is in charge of recruitment - players/managers, coaches, recruitment team, wages, contracts and which players are sold and when. Basically team performance where it counts - on the pitch. He has made an enormous number of mistakes. Nevertheless he can argue, whilst patting his puppet master, Top, on the head, that it’s unfair to blame him as nasty Susan is to blame as she let him make the mistakes.Given Top’s questionable management skills which have led to the effective demolition of his fathers legacy, both sporting and the KP business, such an argument sounds plausible. So off with her head!

She was forced out. Had she resigned and worked her compulsory, probably 3-6 months notice (typical for a CEO), LCFC could at least have someone lined up to arrange a seamless hand over. No CEO is likely to be appointed as this could challenge Rudkin’s position. His power grab is now complete and he will continue to pull Top’s strings as CEO.

If this faltering team, financial dire straits and points deduction re not enough to worry about, 11 of the 19/20 first team players (excluding the youths who have hardly kicked a ball in the first team) are out of contract next summer.

[MattFox]

2 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

anyone saying why didn’t she quit earlier. It’s because she’s the closest to Top’s mum etc and the wider King Power business 

She was Vichai’s point woman in Europe and the West 

 

Negotiated all the giant toblerone deals etc

[AjcW]

2 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

anyone saying why didn’t she quit earlier. It’s because she’s the closest to Top’s mum etc and the wider King Power business 

Not to mention her husband whose company has done all the KP Duty Free shop fit outs. 

[CL Fox]

11 hours ago, -sodapop said:

Just seen somebody claiming that her and Ruskin weren't on speaking terms for the past three years - surely not? 

 

Also, is this likely why we're still without a sponsor?

about right, there will be some stuff coming out in the next few weeks to give a bit more insight i'd imagine.

Edited 3 October 2025 by CL Fox

[Sol thewall Bamba]

23 minutes ago, MattFox said:

She was Vichai’s point woman in Europe and the West 

 

Negotiated all the giant toblerone deals etc

King Power don't have operations outside of the monopoly they were gifted do they? Nothing in Europe? 

[AKCJ]

5 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

King Power don't have operations outside of the monopoly they were gifted do they? Nothing in Europe? 

She was senior executive vice-president of King Power from 1999 until 2019 according to her LinkedIn page.

[AjcW]

8 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

King Power don't have operations outside of the monopoly they were gifted do they? Nothing in Europe? 

I assumed the toblerone comment meant they were taking the piss  

[Sol thewall Bamba]

19 minutes ago, AjcW said:

I assumed the toblerone comment meant they were taking the piss  

I genuinely can't tell on here anymore  

[Supergray22]

1 hour ago, alanf0x said:

Imagine waking up having a contract like that paid off and knowing you will never have to work alongside rudders again!! 
 

I bet the champagne is out.

Yes but as fans I don’t think this is what is good for us or the club. Personally I was happy with Susan and I’d prefer it would be Rudkin leaving. My one hope is that her departure achieves something positive. Top taking over as interim may make the reality set in and that he really needs to sort out the real issues now or alternatively that he cannot fix this and decides to seek owners who can. 

Edited 3 October 2025 by Supergray22

[Suzie the Fox]

2 hours ago, Clever Fox said:

Very well said. Susan along with Vichai built King Power between them. I said at the time, The crash it was the worst thing ever that could happen for the Club and so it's proved.

Susan is in her Seventies, So it may be time for her to retire. Or it could be that she doesn't like the new set up having to answer to a Board when you know they are somewhat

incompetant.

I for one wish her well for the future and thank her for her part in our successes since the takeover. Her leaving could just be another disaster in our recent history.

I suspect Top will be eaten alive by the Sharks in this business unless he gets a proper Money man in beside him.

Psst she is 62 .. bloody agist  

[alanf0x]

34 minutes ago, Supergray22 said:

Yes but as fans I don’t think this is what is good for us or the club. Personally I was happy with Susan and I’d prefer it would be Rudkin leaving. My one hope is that her departure achieves something positive. Top taking over as interim may make the reality set in and that he really needs to sort out the real issues now or alternatively that he cannot fix this and decides to seek owners who can. 

This is the worst case scenario for the club. 100% No question at all. 
 

This departure only strengthens the power Rudders now has with Top. Yes Susan has made some commercial mistakes, some big ones too, I just hope that Rudders is next in line who has made just as many and just as costly 

[MattFox]

1 hour ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

King Power don't have operations outside of the monopoly they were gifted do they? Nothing in Europe? 

She dealt with all the western suppliers to King Power was what I meant 😄

[Buzzell]

11 hours ago, AyewJoking said:

 

Tbf the more I think about this, the more I feel this is bad news rather than good. Surely this is win/win for Rudkin. I would much prefer him being the one getting the axe.

[Phil Mitchell]

The noose isn’t off the clubs neck fully but it’s somewhat slackened. Phil

[Clever Fox]

3 hours ago, Spanner73 said:

Personally I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of our club yet. 
 

This decline is going nowhere ! 

It's hard to see how it will go. I think Tops heart is in the Club,  It's just if he has the know how to improve things.

Or the wisdom to hire someone like Pearson to guide him in the right direction.

Mewhile we suffer on under Rudkin.

[Clever Fox]

1 hour ago, Suzie the Fox said:

Psst she is 62 .. bloody agist  

Apologies, I thought I read somewhere that she was in her seventies.

 

She may feel burnt out,  Or that she just cant work with Top and Rudkin any more,  and who could blame her for that.

[Eskay]

Might be reading too much into it...but Vardys post on socials makes me feel like we are losing the good one and being left with the chuckle brothers?!