Vice-chair Lewis leaves Arsenal in board reshuffle

Arsenal executive vice-chair Tim Lewis has left the club as part of a reshaping of the Gunners' board, with Richard Garlick named the new chief executive officer.

Lewis, who has worked with the Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) group since 2007, became a director of Arsenal in 2020 before becoming the executive vice-chair in 2023.

American Stan Kroenke acquired a 9.9% stake in Arsenal in 2007, becoming majority shareholder in 2011 and assuming 100% ownership in 2018.

Stan and son Josh Kroenke became co-chairs in 2023 in the last boardroom restructure.

Josh Kroenke, who has been increasingly active in the club, has been pictured at games in the early part of this season and attended the PFA Awards with members of the squad.

"At this moment, we would like to thank Tim for his continued dedication and commitment to Arsenal in a period of transformational change for the club," said Josh Kroenke.

"He has played a pivotal role and ensured we are in a great position to continue to deliver our strategy in our ambition to win major trophies."

The club has announced that along with the departure of Lewis, KSE's Kelly Blaha and Otto Maly will join as non-executive directors alongside long-time KSE advisor Dave Steiner.

Arsenal say "they will bring the KSE family closer together and offer a wide range of expertise to strengthen Arsenal".

They have also confirmed Ben Winston, a film producer and director who has been a season ticket holder at the club for more than 30 years, will join the board as a non-executive director.

Winston is the son of renowned scientist Baron Robert Winston.

Garlick joined Arsenal in 2021 as director of football operations and has served as managing director for the last year.

The timing of Tim Lewis' departure comes as a shock after a hugely successful summer in the transfer market when the vice-chair played an important role.

Lewis has built a relationship with club manager Mikel Arteta and alongside Andrea Berta saw through the summer spend of around £250m.

Lewis, a lawyer, is a passionate advocate of financial fair play and has spoken of his concerns about the football regulator.

The 62-year-old is a strong character who is not afraid to say what he thinks, which can lead to uncomfortable conversations.

He is very respected for what he has done during his time at Arsenal and now the boardroom is set to take a new shape, just like the team on the pitch.