Cup-winning rugby union side announces appointment of new chief executive
Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks has announced the appointment of Sid Sutton as the club’s new chief executive.
He joins the role with a vast amount of business experience, from working board level at a top FTSE 100 company to running his own company.
The 46-year old has also been on the Sale Sharks board for the past two years and has worked closely with Sale Sharks co-owner, Simon Orange, for the past seven years.
Some of his key priorities will be to oversee the effective delivery of Sale’s off-field operations, including commercial activities, partnerships and growing the Sale Sharks brand nationally and internationally.
He will also play a lead role in further enhancing the working culture at the club, taking on responsibility for more than 120 employees.
The appointment has also been made to allow the club’s director of rugby, Steve Diamond, to focus more time on activities on the pitch for the club, which picked up its first piece of silverware in 14 years with the Premiership Rugby Cup and only narrowly missed out on a top four finish in last season’s Premiership.
Sid said: “I’m honoured to have been appointed to this new position at such an important time for Sale Sharks. There’s a fantastic group of people that make this great club what it is, and that was one of the big attractions when it came to me taking on this role.
“I’m looking forward to building on a strong foundation of success the club has seen this year, both on and off the pitch. The opportunity to grow our fan base and add to the passionate fans we already have is very exciting.
“As a club, we’re fully aware of the unique times we find ourselves in, so building on the strong and progressive working culture for all of our staff will also be a big priority for us as we aim to push on again in 2021 and beyond.”
Sale Sharks co-owner, Simon Orange, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Sid for the last seven years, so I know he brings a wealth of experience to the club and will be able to use that to help shape our future growth.
“We’ve worked hard to assemble a world-class squad in recent years, and we want to build on the recent Premiership Rugby Cup success and achieve even more over the next few years.
“Steve Diamond has done a fantastic job for us juggling his on-field responsibilities with the operation of the club off the pitch, but the time is right for us to make this appointment and allow him to focus all of his energy on driving the team forward again.
“I’m confident that under Sid’s leadership, everyone involved with Sale Sharks – from players to backroom staff, and employees to commercial partners – will be able to work even closer together to achieve great things for the future.”
In September this year the club’s dreams of returning to its Sale home were dashed when Trafford Council announced it was withdrawing its support for a scheme that would have seen the team build new facilities in the town as part of plans for a new multi-purpose sport and activity hub.
