Sir Jim Ratcliffe's transformation of Old Trafford is gaining momentum as Manchester United announced significant leadership changes, with interim chief executive Patrick Stewart and chief financial officer Cliff Baty stepping down by mutual consent.
Ineos Sport chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc will take over as CEO, filling in until Omar Berrada completes his gardening leave at Manchester City. Manchester United has confirmed Berrada's start date as July 13.
Cliff Baty, the outgoing CFO, will be succeeded by Roger Bell, a former Ineos Sport CFO and a lifelong Manchester United fan. Bell has also served on the supervisory board at Nice, another club owned by Ratcliffe. These leadership changes reflect Ratcliffe's commitment to reshaping Manchester United and bringing in experienced personnel from his Ineos network to drive the club's future success.
Stewart joined Manchester United in 2006 and has been serving as interim CEO since Richard Arnold resigned in February, while Baty started at Old Trafford in 2016. Both played crucial roles in facilitating Sir Jim Ratcliffe's £1.3 billion investment into the club. Ratcliffe expressed his appreciation for their contributions and recognized their efforts in supporting Ineos's entry into Manchester United.
"I would like to personally thank both Patrick and Cliff for their support in helping us get to know the club and making us feel welcome. I respect their decisions to now move on as we establish a new management team for the club," Ratcliffe said. These remarks underscore the critical part Stewart and Baty played during this transitional period, as Manchester United reshapes its executive team under Ratcliffe's leadership.
Co-chairman Joel Glazer expressed his gratitude to Patrick Stewart and Cliff Baty, acknowledging their significant contributions to Manchester United: "I would like to thank Patrick and Cliff for their dedicated service to Manchester United and wish them well for the future. Both have been a source of invaluable advice and expertise over many years, and Patrick has served an important role as interim CEO during this transitional phase."
While Stewart and Baty will officially leave at the end of the season, the changes are expected to take effect immediately, allowing the new leadership team a three-month window to prepare for Omar Berrada's arrival in July. This transition period will give the incoming executives ample time to understand the club's operations and set the course for Manchester United's future under Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ownership.
Omar Berrada, the former Manchester City executive, is currently on gardening leave at Newcastle United while both clubs work out a compensation agreement. Meanwhile, Jason Wilcox, who previously collaborated with Berrada at City as the head of the club's academy, has transitioned from Southampton to Manchester United, taking over as technical director from Darren Fletcher. United is hoping that Fletcher, the former Scotland midfielder, will accept a different role within the club.
It is believed that both Berrada and Newcastle United's Dan Ashworth, who is also on gardening leave, are already providing some input in preparation for their upcoming roles at their respective clubs.
Ineos, the new ownership group at Manchester United, is aiming to have the majority of the new organizational structure in place before making a final decision on the future of head coach Erik ten Hag. These developments suggest that Ineos is carefully laying the groundwork for significant changes at Manchester United, with a focus on creating a robust leadership team to guide the club's future direction.
They understand that Erik ten Hag is the latest Manchester United manager to face challenges within a sub-standard organizational structure over the past decade. Now, they must decide whether to grant the Dutchman another season to demonstrate his capabilities under the new leadership team, headed by Omar Berrada.
United's inconsistent performances and their failure to secure a spot in the Champions League have put Ten Hag's position at risk, even though he led the team to the FA Cup final for the second consecutive year. This uncertainty surrounding his future underscores the significance of the upcoming decisions by the new management team and Ineos's approach to restructuring the club's operations.
