WREXHAM AFC: CEO appointment is a major move by the Reds as they finally snatch Lincoln star
WREXHAM fans’ minds are set on the new players we’ll attract this summer, but we might have already brought in our most important long term recruit.
Michael Williamson has been appointed as our Chief Executive Officer and even before his arrival you could detect his imprimatur in some of the things the club did.
His CV is profoundly impressive, and has already been scrutinised by all and sundry as they seek parallels with the priorities he will inherit in North Wales.
He has experience at DC United, Internazionale and Miami FC, as well as fulfilling the role of co-CEO of the San Siro, fabled home of both Inter and AC Milan.
With Wrexham’s owners battling British bureaucracy as they look to fulfil their goals of redeveloping The SToK Cae Ras and constructing a new training ground, Williamson’s experience in getting similar major projects over the line looks likely to be valuable.
CEOs have to do a lot of number-juggling: as we look to swiftly rise through the pyramid, and financial regulations evolve, Williamson’s knowledge could prove to be very valuable indeed. He was also Inter’s Chief Financial Officer. The higher up the game you go, the more football seems to be decided on the spreadsheets of the accountants as much as on the pitch.
Williamson’s work in that role involved restructuring Inter’s debt, so he is certainly au fait with high level financials.
I might have a mild case of imposter syndrome, that sense that somehow you shouldn’t be where you are. Appointments like Williamson’s help me to shake that feeling. This isn’t just a “we mean business” appointment, it’s concrete proof of Rob and Ryan’s intentions.
They won’t have convinced him to come to North Wales by telling him that we’re aiming for a few years of consolidation in League One! We’re aiming for the Premier League as soon as possible, and that’s what bringing Williamson in represents.
Consider that CV and ask yourself what sort of jobs he’d be interested in. He’s moved continents for us, for heaven’s sake!
The sheer scale of the projects he has already taken on show that he has experience in working alongside major players in the construction industry. Rob and Ryan’s ambition requires someone who is comfortable in that company.
The architects behind the new Kop, AFL, are major figures in the stadium industry. They were responsible for the Lusail Stadium, the fifth largest football ground in the world and host to the 2022 World Cup final, and well as the Brentford Community Stadium, The New Den and renovations of Edgbaston and the Attaturk Stadium. Experience is vital when it comes to getting such projects completed, and Williamson speaks their language.
His work in Milan also involved reinventing Inter’s digital profile, bringing the club’s media approach up to date to appeal to its world-wide fanbase. Ring any bells?
