Chris Heck is reportedly set to step down from his role as Aston Villa’s President of Business Operations, and will leave the club at the end of the season.
The 51-year-old was appointed in May 2023 and has certainly left his mark through improved commercial deals and revenue in our bid to become a more competitive club both on and off the pitch.
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His work will hopefully have made a lasting impact on our ambitious plans to become a genuine and consistent contender in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come, but as per The Athletic, he will leave Villa at the end of the season and we’ll begin our search for his replacement.
Heck’s time at the club has been far from smooth sailing despite the positives noted above, as issues over key aspects such as ticket prices and our plans to improve and develop Villa Park have been met with displeasure and anger at times, and supporters have certainly had every right to be frustrated and disappointed with some of the decisions taken as fan relations have been poor over important topics.
In turn, it’s unclear as to what the exact reasoning for the decision is, but Villa will hope to appoint a successor in the role who can build on Heck’s work and continue to oversee development and improvement on the business side of the club to help us become increasingly competitive, while also ensuring that we avoid similar problems in the future as best as possible.
It comes after the club recently announced plans to redevelop the North Stand at the stadium, and so Heck will likely have played a significant part in that process, while he’s also been involved in getting deals done with the likes Adidas and Betano to maximise our sponsorship opportunities and also revamping the area around Villa Park as well as opening up a new club store in the city centre among other things.
As a result, there are undoubtedly positives to take from his tenure in terms of the club’s standing when comparing where it was when he arrived to now, but both Villa and Heck evidently believe now is the right time to part ways, and it’s hoped that we can go from strength to strength moving forward while minimising the issues that blighted his time at Villa.
