Villa Appoints London 2012 Commercial Chief
Aston Villa FC have appointed Charlie Wijeratna as their first ever chief commercial officer who will be responsible for generating more revenue through marketing and media at the club.
The current Baku 2015 commercial director is now set to miss the final stages of preparations for the inaugural European Games, but is expected to work for another two months before officially leaving, according to media reports.
Wijeratna started his career at Sky Sports before getting behind London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics and subsequent sponsorship deals that secured £700m. In total, he led deals that raised £830m for the Games.
Villa chief executive Tom Fox said of the appointment: “Charlie has valuable experience in football from his time at Tottenham and has a proven track record in revenue generation at both London 2012 and now the Baku 2015 European Games.
“He knows how to build highly effective teams and develop winning partnerships with top global brands. Under his leadership we expect our commercial operation to generate the revenue that a club the size of Aston Villa is capable of.”
Wijeratna, who was also commercial director at Tottenham Hotspur from 2010 to 2012, added: “I am particularly looking forward to working with a senior management team that understands the opportunity that the Premier League’s global television reach offers clubs today.
“Aston Villa is one of England’s great football clubs and I am keen to make my contribution to developing the club’s commercial revenues while respecting its heritage and values.”
