Angus Kinnear

Chief Executive Officer

Kinnear was widely reported to be The Friedkin Group's favoured candidate to finally succeed the previous permanent Chief Executive, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, and the news of his appointment was confirmed in March 2025 before he officially came on board in mid-May.

He took over responsibility for the day-to-day running of the Club from Interim CEO, Colin Chong, who remained at Everton and returned to a full-time focus on the move to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, regeneration of the surrounding area and the future of Goodison Park.

Kinnear's appointment promised to add vast experience in stadium moves to the Everton hierarchy. The 47-year-old Luton Town fan had held roles as commercial director at Arsenal during the Gunners' transition from their historic Highbury home to the Emirates Stadium at nearby Ashburton Grove and managing director at West Ham where he oversaw their move to the converted 2012 Olympic Stadium.

In 2018, he made the switch to Leeds, overseeing the Yorkshire club's triumphant return to the Premier League where they enjoyed three seasons before falling back into the Championship. His last act there was to see them return to the top flight, having narrowly missed out on immediate promotion the season before.

Described by BBC Leeds correspondent Adam Pope as being  "financially astute", Kinnear's time at Leeds had been characterised by his openness to engage with supporters, often through appearances on the Whites' leading fan podcast, The Square Ball and a regular column in the matchday programme, although he had stepped away from both towards the end of his tenure as he had come in for greater scrutiny.

He is also an open opponent of independent regulation in football, a stance that might put him at odds with a good many Toffee fans still stung by Everton's treatment by the Premier League with regard to breaches of Profitability and Sustainability Rules when compared to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.

“Enforcing upon football a philosophy akin to Maoist collective agriculturalism – which students of 'The Great Leap Forward' will know culminated in the greatest famine in history – will not make the English game fairer, it will kill the competition which is its very lifeblood,” he was quoted as saying at the time.

“Redistribution of wealth will simply favour the lowest common denominator. Clubs who excel in recruitment, player development or commercial enterprise will be punished, while less capable ownership will be rewarded for incompetence.”

The biggest "own goal" during his time so far at Elland Road was a controversial revamp of Leeds's own club badge early in his tenure which, like at Everton, prompted hasty back-tracking and the abandonment of a design depicting the "Leeds Salute".

However, Kinnear earned kudos from fans for his handling of the outcry and his willingness to take the criticism of the process on board.