Arsenal executive vice chair and former Clifford Chance partner Tim Lewis has parted ways from the North London football club, as part of a shakeup of the board which has seen the club install a new chief executive.
Lewis, a corporate M&A lawyer by trade, was made a director at the club in 2020 and held a dual role with both Clifford Chance and Arsenal until he left the firm in 2022 after 12 years as partner. He was promoted to executive vice chair the following year.
In 2007 Lewis advised Stan Kroenke and KSE (Kroenke Sports & Entertainment) on their investment in Arsenal, a deal which led to a long standing relationship between Kroenke and Lewis who became the American owner’s go-to adviser.
Over the next decade Lewis acted for Kroenke as he bought out several other owners who held shares in the Gunners. Most notably, Lewis advised Kroenke on his 2018 acquisition of 30% of the club’s shares from Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov, alongside fellow Clifford Chance M&A partner Katherine Moir.
Lewis became a non-executive director in July 2020. Soon after, the club embarked on a series of financial reforms, including restructuring its outstanding stadium debt with a loan from KSE.
During his time at Clifford Chance, Lewis worked on high-profile deals, including advising Shell on its £1.2bn offer for Cove Energy in 2012, and Madame Tussauds, Legoland and London Eye owner Merlin Entertainment on its 2019 take-private, completed for just under £6bn.
Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke said: ‘We would like to thank Tim for his continued dedication and commitment to Arsenal in a period of transformational change for the club. 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 departure has seen managing director Richard Garlick become chief executive officer with immediate effect, and KSE representatives Kelly Blaha and Otto Maly join the board as non-executive directors, alongside producer and director Ben Winston.
