Chelsea's owners have been in place for more than three weeks, but it was on Wednesday morning that the new era really appeared to take hold at Stamford Bridge. In confirming members of the Chelsea board, Todd Boehly made clear that the transformation was the launching point for the vision of the new owners.
The new chairman said: "As custodians of Chelsea FC, we now begin executing our long-term vision and plan for the Club, creating an outstanding experience for its passionate, loyal fans, and continuing to challenge for top honours in line with Chelsea FC's decorated history. Working together, side-by-side, we are firmly committed to winning, both on and off the pitch. For us, that effort has begun."
With the departure of Marina Granovskaia and Bruce Buck from their senior roles, the new faces of Chelsea are now firmly in place. New figures in charge of making the important decisions and custodians to bear the responsibility of improving and taking care of the Club.
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football.london takes a look at each member of the board below:
Todd Boehly, Chairman of the board and co-owner of Chelsea FC.
Chelsea's new chairman and interim sporting director has been the face of the takeover and the most present body at Stamford Bridge as the consortium went through the process of buying the club from Roman Abramovich. The US businessman ico-founder and CEO of Eldridge Industries, a company with a history of investing in technology, media, real estate and sport. Boehly is an owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Sparks, Cloud9, and DraftKings., in addition to Chelsea.
Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, co-controlling owners of Chelsea FC, and co-founders and managing partners of Clearlake Capital
Jose E. Feliciano and Behdad Egbahli are founders of Clearlake Capital. The group is believed to hold the largest stake in the Blues' ownership. Egbahli is said to be a big football fan and is described as being a 'hands-on' figure. The duo were present at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season against Watford.
Feliciano worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and was a chief financial officer of govWorks before his success with Clearlake Capital. He sits on the board of trustees of Stanford University and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino and holds a net worth of £2.7 billion, according to Forbes. The 46-year-old Eghbali worked in private equity for TPG Capital before founding Clearlake and also is said to have a net worth of £2.7 billion. The company itself manages £60 billion in assets and has taken £20 billion in new assets in the last 12 months.
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
Mark Walter is a 62-year-old businessman who is the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners and part-chairman of the LA Dodgers. Walter was named as the eighth most influential person in sports business in 2012, following the purchase of the baseball side. The American was said to be a key addition to the Boehly bid and has a net worth of just over £3.3 billion.
Hansjörg Wyss, co-owner of Chelsea FC, founder of the Wyss Foundation
Hansjörg Wyss is an 86-year-old Swiss investor who was the first figure to speak openly about a takeover of Chelsea and signalled his intent to be part of a consortium.
The Bern-born businessman earned a master's degree in civil and structural engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in 1959, followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School. Wyss was the founder of Synthes USA, the US division of a medical device manufacturer and operated as CEO until 2007 and chairman until 2012, when Johnson and Johnson bought the company. He is now described as a philanthropist and signed the Giving Pledge, where he agreed to give away the majority of his fortune and appears interested in environmental and scientific causes.
According to Forbes, Wyss is worth £3.8 billion.
Jonathan Goldstein, co-owner of Chelsea FC, co-founder and CEO of Cain International
Jonathan Goldstein is co-founder and CEO of investment firm Cain International, in which Boehly was also involved. The solicitor and entrepreneur is known as a Tottenham fan but has a relationship with Boehly in business stretching back at least eight years. He has further been chair of the Jewish Leadership Council and resides in London.
Barbara Charone, director and co-founder of MBC PR
Barbara Charone is a public relations officer for musicians who formerly worked as a journalist and music critic for the likes of NME and Rolling Stone. The Chicago-born Chelsea fan first started attending Stamford Bridge after watching football on television while working on Keith Richards' biography, and by 1981 had a season ticket and is friends with the likes of Pat Nevin and Graeme Le Saux.
During her time at Warner Music, she was part of the process in the club recording of the 1997 FA Cup final song Blue Day with Suggs.
Speaking to the Telegraph before the completion of the takeover Charone noted her admiration for the Chelsea bosses and the academy. She said: "I'm obviously really excited to be a part of the future if this is successful. I think we're in an unbelievable place.
"We have a manager that's been through a lot and comes out just like a saint. Not just as a football coach, but more importantly, I think, as a person. It's just the way he's handled everything. Even when being asked about the war, he's just unbelievable, and I hope he's a manager for a long time."
"It's just incredible (club's academy). Obviously, now we're seeing the fruits of it with Mason Mount and Reece James and also Conor Gallagher at Palace. And then, of course, the Chelsea women's team - Emma Hayes also deserves five stars for the way she's handled herself on and off the pitch."
Her role will be to help ensure supporters' concerns are represented as opposed as an investor.
Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, columnist and former executive editor of The Times
Another Chelsea supporter to make their way onto the Board, Daniel Finkelstein, is a Conservative Peer in the House of Lords and former executive editor of The Times, who has acted as an advisor to previous Conservative governments. Finkelstein spoke highly of Boehly's bid, having become involved in March, and claims to have attended games since he was seven years old, having been in the West Stand Lower for 20 years.
The board member said on Twitter: "I'm so proud to have been named a director of Chelsea FC. Serving on the Board of the club I have always loved is a privilege I take very seriously. I will read & reflect on fan messages, but it will often not be possible to indicate assent or dissent."
James Pade, partner and managing director of Clearlake Capital
James Pade is another Clearlake Capital member and serves on several company boards in the Clearlake portfolio. He has worked as an investment professional at TowerBrook Capital Partners and an investment banker at Credit Suisse. His career started at Google, and Pade also played professional tennis.
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