Marina Granovskaia departs as Chelsea announces new Board of Directors and leadership changes
2 min read
Chelsea have confirmed that transfer chief Marina Granovskaia is stepping down as a director at the club.
Granovskaia has effectively run Chelsea for Roman Abramovich for almost a decade but will leave her role as part of a major shake-up at Stamford Bridge.
The 47-year-old is the latest big-name exit after Chelsea announced on Monday that Bruce Buck is also standing down as chairman after 19 years.
Granovskaia was expected to leave Chelsea after Abramovich put the club up for sale, but initially it was hoped she would remain in situ until the end of the transfer window during a handover process following the Todd Boehly takeover.
The Russian-Canadian executive has worked at Chelsea since 2010 and has been considered the most powerful person at the club after Abramovich.
Granovskaia has looked after transfers and player contracts since 2013. Boehly and manager Thomas Tuchel will now take on transfer negotiations.
Last year Granovskaia was named as the best club director in European football at the Golden Boy awards, underlining her importance to the club.
Losing her expertise, experience, influence and contacts represents a blow to Tuchel as Chelsea embark on a crucial summer transfer window for the club.
Boehly has been named chairman of the board of Chelsea FC effective immediately. Chelsea FC’s other confirmed board members include:
• Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, co-controlling owners of Chelsea FC, and co-founders and managing partners of Clearlake Capital
• Mark Walter, co-owner of Chelsea FC, co-founder and CEO of Guggenheim Partners, owner of Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Sparks
• Hansjörg Wyss, co-owner of Chelsea FC, founder of the Wyss Foundation
• Jonathan Goldstein, co-owner of Chelsea FC, co-founder and CEO of Cain International
• Barbara Charone, director and co-founder of MBC PR
• Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, columnist and former executive editor of The Times
• James Pade, partner and managing director of Clearlake Capital
The announcement includes the departure of Marina Granovskaia, director of Chelsea FC. Boehly will operate as interim sporting director until the Club names a full-time replacement, continuing the Club’s work towards its targets during the current transfer window. Chelsea FC and Ms. Granovskaia have agreed that she will remain available to Boehly and the Club for the duration of the current transfer window, to the extent required to support the transition.
‘We thank Marina for her many years of excellent service to the Club and wish her all the best in her future ventures,’ added Boehly.
