Hawthorn Football Club Chief Executive Officer Justin Reeves has advised the club’s Board of his resignation.
Reeves will step down from the role effective immediately due to the personal toll and the need to focus on his well-being in what has been a very difficult period for the club.
Reeves resigned to the Board earlier today, with the Board appointing Ash Klein as Acting CEO.
Reeves was appointed Hawthorn’s Chief Executive in November 2017, following a decade in senior commercial roles at the Geelong and Collingwood Football Clubs and seven years at Foxtel.
During his tenure at Hawthorn, the club has:
- Achieved year-on-year profits, ensuring the club’s long-term financial sustainability
- Secured funding from all three levels of government and started work to build a world-class community, training and administration facility at the Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley Village
- Divested the club’s gaming venues and revenues whilst ensuring ongoing football club profitability
- Seen membership and commercial partner growth including re-signing long-term contracts with Tasmania, iiNet, Nissan, KFC and a host of others.
Hawthorn President Andy Gowers thanked and congratulated Reeves for his leadership and said, while he was disappointed to see the CEO depart the club, he respects Reeves’ brave decision.
Reeves has told the Board the time has come to step away from his position to prioritise his mental health and wellbeing and spend more time with family.
“Justin is a highly respected sporting executive, which is a reputation built from delivering great results and running sound operations for more than 15 years in AFL football,” Gowers said.
“On behalf of the Board, I thank Justin for his unwavering commitment to the Hawks over nearly six years, during which there has been some challenging periods that required astute leadership.
“Hawthorn has initiated a search for a new CEO and we look forward to working with Acting CEO Ash Klein in the meantime.”
Reeves, who won the AFL’s Graeme Samuel Scholarship in 2011 to study at Harvard Business School, said timing has always been important to him and now was the right time for new leadership at Hawthorn.
“I’ve worked hard with my team to establish strong foundations for the club to work through some important cultural, strategic and operational matters and, with that work done, I’m confident the club can emerge stronger than ever,” Reeves said.
“I believe now is the right time to hand over to new leadership. I’m confident my departure will allow the Board to identify a new CEO to lead our incredibly talented executive team, to ensure future club sustainability and success and support club coaches Sam Mitchell and Bec Goddard.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead Hawthorn and thank the club’s ever so talented employees, loyal members and committed commercial partners.”
The Board will shortly form a sub-committee to lead the search for Hawthorn’s new CEO.
The club asks that the media respects the privacy of Justin and his family during this time.
