"Evolved" Leadership Structure To Drive Long-Term Stability & Success

[Rubbersoul]

45 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

They must read Foxestalk and sit around and discuss “what could wind them up the most” then release a statement like today? I don’t think it could of gone much better from their point of view

Ben Nelson club captain up next just especially for you mate   

Edited 3 March by Rubbersoul

[Greg2607]

51 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

I’m don’t know the guy but he must talk a good game to go from FC to CEO in a handful of years - he could be really good before I slate him but this is Leicester City we’re talking about. 
 

Yes a lot of CFOs will transition into CEO roles but they tend to be the more commercially astute ones. I’m staggered they haven’t gone with someone external, as for the Rudkin role it’s a joke at this point and it’s now 100% concrete he isn’t going anywhere. 
 

if they wanted to appoint the FD its lazy to say they are now recruiting a new one, seems another afterthought - I’ll try and find who the recruiter is and may have a stab myself. 

It will be a headhunter mate.  Your best bet is to call Wasserman and ask them to send your details in 🤣🤣 

[MattFox]

KPFC position has always been that it’s Rudkin that’s the problem 

 

How’s that holding up now

[fox_favourite]

Just imagine the lift in the fan base if Top had the balls and replaced Rudkin in this announcement. 

 

I think the stadium would be full and new enthusiasm would come in. Not saying it'll save our season, but it might lift part of the mood. 

 

This doesn't help one bit

[PAULCFC]

1 hour ago, Gazza M said:

Shit sticks to shit. We need administration to get them all gone. 

Unfortunatley.......i think you are right!

[fazzyfox]

Jon Rudkin responsible for strategic squad development 😂.

I’ve seen his squad development strategy - fill it with over paid, over rated gutless characters who will be impossible to sell, on ridiculously long contracts whilst using the loan market to trial centre forwards without them troubling the starting line up but jogging round Seagrave for months. 
 

The only way this t**d flushes away now is new owners coming in and reviewing his performance, if this was his review and the outcome is a promotion the owners aren’t fit for purpose in staff structuring.

[Bob666]

5 hours ago, moore_94 said:

https://www.lcfc.com/pages/en/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-leadership-structure-kevin-davies-jon-rudkin-james-mccarron-kamonthip-netthanomsak-russell-jones

 

Leicester City today announces an evolved senior leadership structure designed to provide clarity of responsibility, strengthen governance and support our long-term development both on and off the pitch.

 

• Leicester City Football Club reveals new executive leadership structure
• Kevin Davies appointed Chief Executive Officer, leading the Club’s business functions
• Jon Rudkin to lead the Club’s football operation as Chief Football Officer
• James McCarron will arrive from City Football Group in March as Sporting Director
• Russell Jones named Commercial Director
• Clear executive alignment across men’s and women’s football, commercial and operational functions

 

The new structure introduces defined executive leadership for our football and business operations, recognising the expertise, pace and prioritisation required in each area, aligned behind a single strategic vision – to re-establish Leicester City as a sustainable, aspirational Premier League football club.

 

Leading the Club’s business operation, Kevin Davies has been appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer, providing executive leadership of the Club’s corporate affairs, ensuring strong governance, long-term financial resilience and the operational platform required to support sustained sporting ambition.

 

Leading the Club’s football operation, Jon Rudkin has been appointed to the role of Chief Football Officer, providing executive leadership of all football matters, ensuring long-term sporting alignment, strategic squad development and the high-performance environment required to deliver sustained competitive success.

 

Both Kevin and Jon will report to the Club’s Board of Directors - made up of Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and Vice-Chairmen Apichet Srivaddhanaprabha and Liu Shilai - who will continue to provide strategic oversight and long-term direction for the Club.

 

The appointments will now proceed through standard tests, required under EFL regulations.

 

Further strengthening the football operation and reporting to the Chief Football Officer, James McCarron will join us as Sporting Director at the end of March. Arriving from City Football Group, where he currently serves as Global Director of Player Development, James will support and help shape the Club’s player recruitment and identification strategy, working closely with Martyn Glover, Head of Senior Player Recruitment. In close alignment with the technical coaching staff, James will lead the First Team performance departments, including Data, Analysis and Sport Science, and oversee the Professional Development Phase of the Academy pathway to ensure cohesion across the football programme.

 

We can also confirm the appointment of Russell Jones as Commercial Director, reporting to the CEO, with responsibility for Partnerships, Retail and Venue Commercial Development including Ticketing and Hospitality. Russell’s experience includes spells in senior roles with Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he successfully drove domestic and international revenue growth, adding value to commercial initiatives through effective methods of fan engagement.

 

Kamonthip Netthanomsak will continue in her role as Managing Director, maintaining oversight of commercial and operational matters to ensure continuity during this transition.

 

Leading our Senior Leadership Team, Kevin and Jon bring more than 45 years of combined organisational knowledge to their roles and a deep understanding of the Club’s culture and traditions. Jon marks 30 years with Leicester City in 2026, leading in positions such as Academy Director and, during the last 12 years, as Director of Football. Kevin becomes CEO after 15 years with the Club, initially as Financial Controller and, since May 2023, as Finance Director, where he has led the Club’s financial realignment during a challenging period of transition.

 

Recruitment for a new Finance Director is underway and will further reinforce financial management and long-term planning within the executive team.

 

Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Over the past 15 years, King Power has been proud to support Leicester City through historic success and more challenging periods alike. Our commitment to this Club and to our supporters remains unwavering.

 

“As we move into a new chapter in the Leicester City story, we want to build a leadership structure that best reflects the demands of the modern game and the specialisms necessary for us to excel in an increasingly competitive environment.

 

“Kevin has been a powerful, stabilising force behind the scenes during a difficult period of adjustment for the Club and has demonstrated the skills to lead, develop and align our key business functions and the overall strategy that guides them. Jon’s knowledge of the Club, its football culture and the wider football landscape is extensive and complements those skills in a way that sets us up strongly for this next phase of the Club’s growth.

 

“We remain committed to greater transparency and levels of engagement with our supporters as part of our vision, and look forward to introducing Kevin and Jon in the appropriate settings during the coming weeks.”

 

Kevin Davies said: “It’s an honour for me to become Leicester City’s Chief Executive Officer. Having been born and raised in the city, I know what it means to the people in our communities and the passion that exists among our supporters. I’m proud to be part of its leadership.

 

“I also know the responsibility that comes with the role. Recent seasons have brought significant challenges, and our focus is firmly on ensuring that the structures, processes and leadership are in place to support stability, sustainability and competitive ambition across the whole Club.

 

“With the continued support of King Power, we are committed to building a platform that allows Leicester City to compete sustainably in the Premier League once again and, over time, to challenge for honours. Achieving that requires diligence, long-term thinking and collective effort, where our business operations align to support football performance.”

 

Chief Football Officer Jon Rudkin said: “Restoring Leicester City to the level we all believe it should represent is a Club-wide priority. We are clear about the standards required and the work that lies ahead to reach them.

 

“Re-establishing ourselves as a sustainable and consistently competitive Premier League club will not be achieved overnight. It requires a long-term vision built on careful planning, discipline and consistency, while retaining the agility to respond to the immediate demands of an intensely competitive environment.

 

“We approach that challenge with clarity, unity and determination, and we are fully committed to building a Club that our supporters can be proud of, both now and in the years ahead.”

 

King Power has supported Leicester City for more than 15 years, overseeing a period that has included a Premier League title win, an FA Cup triumph and sustained top-flight competition. The ownership group has reaffirmed its ongoing financial commitment to the Club as it moves forward under the new executive structure.

 

As a Football Club, we are united in our belief that this clearly defined and aligned leadership framework provides the strongest platform for long-term development and renewed success in the years ahead.

Anyone who doesn't participate in the next King Power Out protest after reading this needs a head wobble 

[Dan]

10 minutes ago, MattFox said:

KPFC position has always been that it’s Rudkin that’s the problem 

 

How’s that holding up now

It'll be the protestors.

[Pita]

If that’s the best Top can come up with. Roll on div1 and going bankrupt 

[SK3Blue]

Rowett must be breathing a sigh of relief that he’s only got 11 more matches with these assholes. 

[Pita]

Just now, SK3Blue said:

Rowett must be breathing a sigh of relief that he’s only got 11 more matches with these assholes. 

Trouble is I think Top believes he’s doing a good job. He does not understand he’s crap

[Pita]

1 hour ago, Gazza M said:

Shit sticks to shit. We need administration to get them all gone. 

The sooner the better 

[jammie82uk]

3 hours ago, Danizen said:

What's the difference between a Chief Football Officer and a Chief Sporting Director? 

A typical breakdown of the roles 

 

Chairman – Khun “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha
•    Sets overall vision and strategy for the club and signs off on major decisions (senior appointments, big transfers, major investments).
•    Chairs the board, represents the owners, and is the ultimate decision-maker above both the CEO and Chief Football Officer.

CEO (Business) – Kevin Davies
•    Leads all corporate affairs: finances, budgets, commercial deals, stadium/venue operations, retail, HR, legal, and administration.
•    Responsible for financial sustainability (PSR/FFP compliance), overall business strategy, and aligning all non-football departments behind the club’s long-term plan.

 

Chief Football Officer – Jon Rudkin
•    Overall charge of all football activities: men’s, women’s, and pathways/academy, sitting above the Sporting Director and football departments.
•    Sets high-level football strategy and governance, liaises with the board on football matters, and line-manages the Sporting Director.

 

Sporting Director – James McCarron
•    Runs day-to-day football operations on the men’s side: performance and player trading.
•    Leads recruitment and squad building: scouting profiles, transfers in and out, loans, and contract renewals, aligned to a clear playing identity and long-term plan.
•    Works with the head coach and academy so first team, B team and youth pathway all fit one football philosophy.

 

Interim Managing Director – Kamonthip Netthanomsak
•    Acts as an executive link between the chairman and club operations during the transition, helping implement the new structure.
•    Oversees and coordinates business/operational departments alongside the CEO role, making sure day-to-day running matches the board’s direction.

 

Commercial Director – Russell Jones
•    Responsible for revenue-generating activities: sponsorship, partnerships, ticketing/marketing strategy, retail and brand growth.
•    Reports into the business side (under the CEO), tasked with growing income to support the football budget and long-term sustainability.

[Sly]

I might apply for the job as Financial Director. 
 

I’m completely unsuitable for the role, however that doesn’t seem to matter in all honesty.

 

I’d like to think I stand a good chance of landing the job. 

[MPH]

So is that normal then to have two people who seem to have a heavy emphasis on the commercial side of things? And how is that sustainable with the current way  we do things? And how will that change? Unless we make some massive changes, what’s the point?

 

 

some ideas:

 

yearly  pre-season tours of Asia.

winter break tours of Asia

random friendlies in Asia

boxing cards/ concerts held at the stadium

Leicester City themselves start purchasing race horses. ( as ridiculous as this sounds, our owner IS as ridiculous as this sounds)

summer events on Vicky park

Leicester City Lotto

Edited 3 March by MPH

[Buzzell]

[FoxesTez]

The level of footballing network that our C-suite has is non-existent. Top’s trusted circle keeps only getting smaller. 
 

We’ve gone from having one of the most respected people in the game in Whelan at the table to a bunch of jokers all promoted beyond their capabilities. 
 

What a hideous organisation we’ve become. 

[AyewJoking]

Khunt invites his A-Team for a sleepover to restructure the club but Rudkin brings a bottle of Turbo White and chaos ensues...

[Bob666]

Looking forward to the "appropriate settings"

[TeppoPortin]

Rudkin getting a promotion is ridiculous, but sadly predictable.  The club's statement suggests he's going to be in charge of things he's proven to be weak at so I'm not expecting anything to change.

 

The statement itself is also ridiculous, full of corporate bullshit and in denial about the club's current situation with the way it goes on about wanting to be a sustainable Premier League club.  With the way things are going we probably need to prioritise being a sustainable League One club first.

[Claudio Fannieri]

To us outsiders certainly looks like Top has promoted 2 from within to be his trusted aides, plus his mate Monika and then the 2 newbies appointed to deflect the criticism have come in as the next layer of management. 
 

Looks to me to be cosmetic changes and actually reaffirms the status quo, I fully expect to see little or no change in how we operate on or off the pitch. Think we will double down on the tippy tappy football and more of the same sponsorships and partnerships with obscure gambling and crypto companies. 

[Parafox]

6 hours ago, StanSP said:

The worst sentence to read:

 

 

Leading the Club’s football operation, Jon Rudkin has been appointed to the role of Chief Football Officer, providing executive leadership of all football matters, ensuring long-term sporting alignment, strategic squad development and the high-performance environment required to deliver sustained competitive success

That made me feel sick. I already have mild anxiety. I'm gonna have to increase my meds.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-citys-dire-situation-broken-10846158

 

Leicester City's dire situation and broken trust deserved more radical shake-up
Changes have been made at the top of the club, the most significant of King Power's ownership, but they won't be enough to appease those who have already lost faith

Jordan Blackwell
17:01, 03 Mar 2026

It’s certainly a shake-up. James McCarron’s arrival as sporting director marks the most senior appointment from outside the club to Leicester City’s football department since King Power took over.

McCarron’s arrival is recognition that changes were needed, and recognition that Jon Rudkin needed assistance in what is a demanding and difficult job. It is a positive step.

However, there will be a feeling that McCarron’s appointment is both too little and too late.

City are threatened with falling to their lowest ebb, not just under King Power’s ownership, but in their 142-year history.

Jon Rudkin preaches patience in rare statement as he takes on new Leicester City role

 

Because of how far and how quickly they have fallen, if any club required a full-scale reorganisation, it is City. This shake-up does not feel vigorous enough.

 

 

The fans are in a bad mood. Rightly so. They’ve watched their club tumble and there has been little sign of a reversal of fortunes. When supporters are fed up, the instinctive reaction can be pessimistic.

But there are good reasons for them to have doubts. Because, in terms of optics, it looks like Rudkin has received a promotion.

Chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanprabha gave backing to the beleaguered director of football in his interviews in January, and so it is not a surprise that he still has an integral role at the club. But it’s not a good look.

Marti Cifuentes lost his job as manager a month and a half ago because he was not performing to expectations. It was not an unreasonable decision. This is what happens in football when people don’t do their jobs as expected: they lose them.

Rudkin has not performed his tasks to expectation either. If he had, City would not be in the position they are in. He not only remains in a role, but appears to have been handed a more powerful one.

But perhaps not. In moving Rudkin up, there is someone new to take over many of the responsibilities in recruitment, contracts, and managerial appointments where the former director of football has been deemed to have failed.

But McCarron has plenty to prove too. He comes in from the City Football Group, and his long stint there, at one of the game’s most successful footballing conglomerates, suggests reason for excitement and how he may be able to guide the club.

However, he has had a spell as a sporting director, at second-tier Belgian club Lommel, and left there last summer after what the local paper described as an “abysmal performance” in the role.

And in any case, there will still be doubts over his ability to influence City’s philosophy and change their approach when he has to report to Rudkin anyway.

Then, for the new chief executive, City have promoted internally, Kevin Davies stepping up from finance director.

Again, instinctively, it doesn’t feel like a good look, although that’s perhaps a tad unfair in this instance.

City’s financial mismanagement has caused problems that have put them in their current predicament and so it again may seem like someone has failed upwards.

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But really, Davies inherited the club’s financial issues, rather than caused them, and has been fighting to correct City’s course. It was something he was able to do, so much so that they even earned a point back in their recent Profit and Sustainability Rules case.

He will know, because of the recent financial problems, that he is walking into the line of fire and will have plenty of people to win around.

In other circumstances, it would be a great story. This is a Leicester lad born and raised who has worked his way up at his hometown club over 15 years. If City were in a good position, it would be the sort of appointment that would go down well.

But City are not in a good position. They’re in their worst. At this moment, an outside voice to really spark change would have been better.

It’s been five months since Susan Whelan left and there will naturally be question marks as to why a replacement took so long to emerge when it was an internal appointment anyway. It’s not known if City interviewed outside contenders for the job.

The appointment of McCarron, the change of role for Rudkin and the promotion for Davies could all improve the situation at City. Time will tell on that front.

But they are changes that do not improve the fan sentiment, which is ultimately a huge part of the situation at the moment.

The way the club has been run and the lack of success has left fans feeling more disconnected than ever. Falling home attendances are proof of that.

That’s why more radical changes were required. Fans need something to believe in, and they have not been given that.

Neither do the series of statements hit the mark. It’s hard to get on board with messages of hope, of looking to the future and of a sustained Premier League presence when City are in the dire position they are.

The problem is that, once those mistakes are laid out plainly, there will be more questions as to why the man responsible for a substantial number of them looks like he’s been given a promotion.

Rudkin’s call for patience will fall on deaf ears. For many fans, trust is long gone. The only way to have regained some would have been for more sweeping changes that recognised the severity of City’s situation. This restructure, at least optically, does not quite do that.

[Larry_LCFC]

Just proves the STAGGERING level of incompetence that Top inflicts on us. The bloke is an absolute ****ing idiot.

[The Doctor]

3 hours ago, AjcW said:

The good news is, we're on page 9 and no one has mentioned "Del Boy went on a gap year to south east asia" has been hired as our Commercial Director..... 

god, that on top of the financial director who's presided over several years of FFP failure as CEO and the DoF who's lead us from European semi finals to the third tier in 4 years being promoted to chief football officer? I wish my job was so generous if you ****ed up this badly.