Tony, who has led Kick It Out for three years, will be retiring at the end of the 2023-24 season to spend time with his family and pursue some of his passions.
Although Kick It Out is disappointed to lose such an outstanding and humble leader who has made a huge difference to the organisation, we understand his desire to hang up his boots. They will be big ones to fill and we thank him dearly for his wisdom and direction at a key time.
Kick It Out’s board will now be conducting an open recruitment process. We intend to have a new chief executive officer in place ahead of the 2024-25 season. Tony has kindly agreed to support that transition.
Tony said: “After a 40-year career filled with fantastic memories I have decided to retire to spend more time with my growing family and to pursue a few personal passions. It has been an absolute privilege to lead this brilliant organisation over the last three years.
“I would like to thank chair Sanjay Bhandari and the board for all their fantastic support. I would also like to thank all the very special colleagues whose incredible work makes Kick It Out a truly unique organisation.”
Sanjay added: “Everyone at Kick It Out is very sad to lose Tony but we completely understand his desire to move to a new phase of his life.
“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Tony for his outstanding leadership. Tony joined us at a time of great uncertainty during the Covid lockdowns. He has led with passion, tenacity and empathy. The focused changes made under Tony’s leadership have set us up for future success. He passes to his successor a strong legacy and a platform for future change in our industry.
“On a personal level, I have hugely enjoyed working with Tony and I wish him every success and happiness in the next stage of his life."
