AFL’s St Kilda FC announce chief executive succession plan

St Kilda Football Club has announced a succession plan for Chief Operating Officer Simon Lethlean to replace Matt Finnis as Chief Executive of the Club following the conclusion of the 2022 AFL Season.

Advising that after eight years in the role, and 17 years in the AFL industry, Finnis had informed the Board that 2022 would be his last, St Kilda Club President, Andrew Bassat stated “St Kilda owes Matt an enormous debt of gratitude for the leadership he has provided our Club to date and the changes he has made will be long-lasting.

“There will be a time to properly recognise his work at St Kilda, but suffice to say, when he joined the Saints back in 2014 we faced numerous challenges and the Club he leaves at the end of 2022 will in many respects be unrecognisable from that time.

“Bringing the Club home to our heartland in Moorabbin, closing in on a membership target of 60,000 members, club record sponsorship revenue, and most recently securing and launching the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing, has helped to establish foundations from which our Club can look ahead to a very bright future.”

Bassat went on to say it was not only Finnis’ actions that would leave a long-lasting legacy at the club, but the manner in which he led those around him, adding “Matt has established a new level of respect in and around the St Kilda Football Club - the respect we have for ourselves, the respect of the community in which we operate, and the respect of our members and supporters.

“On behalf of the Board, we are very pleased to be announcing that Simon Lethlean will become our new Chief Executive Officer from the end of 2022.

“A process of succession planning and transition involving Matt and Simon was initiated some time ago and recently formalised via unanimous decision of the Board.

“In Simon, we are extremely fortunate to have an incoming CEO who understands our Club and shares our ambitious aspirations for St Kilda.

“Simon brings an unrivalled depth of experience and knowledge of all aspects of the industry – football, broadcasting, legal and game development. Since joining the Club, he has won the trust and confidence of our people, attracted talented staff to our organisation and contributed significantly to our growth agenda.”

Finnis said that the end of 2022 would be the right time for new leadership as the Club heads into its’ 150th anniversary year, commenting “the last couple of years have been incredibly challenging for so many but I’m really proud that St Kilda will emerge from this period stronger on field and off.

“By the end of the year we expect to have cut our historical debt by half and have a genuine line of sight to a debt free balance sheet, at the same time as fully financing our football programs commensurate with the league leaders.

“When approaching Simon to become our General Manager of Football, we knew that his knowledge of the game, commercial acumen and incredible work ethic was a unique combination which would position him well to lead the Club at some time in the future.

“Since then, Simon has added a deep passion for St Kilda and understanding of the fabric of our club, which I’m confident will underpin the club’s prosperity under his leadership.”

Looking forward to his new role, Lethlean expressed his thanks to the Board for their faith in him, commenting “I would also like to thank Matt for his support and for the partnership we have forged that has led to my appointment as the Club’s next CEO.

“I’m incredibly optimistic about the journey that we’re on here at St Kilda, and our supporters should know that I’ll be leaving no stone unturned in our mission to deliver the success they are rightly impatient to enjoy.

“I am looking forward to the 2022 men’s season getting underway, and to continuing to work closely with Matt, our staff and our players to strive for the ultimate prize and the continued growth of the Club.”

Image: Matt Finnis. Credit: Bryce Shilton. Licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.