Who are the investors?
I am not sure this will happen regularly but I agree with Charlie Methven’s assertion that a “fairly broad base shareholding group” could be an advantage to the club.
In recent times we have had a whole coterie of egotistical individuals unwilling and unable to work with other people thinking they knew best with disastrous consequences.
A large group can be unwieldy, but SMT individuals and those investors behind them knowing their roles and executing on what they are good at can be of decisive benefit. The range of investors also spreads the risk and investment requirements. Many companies are organized this way.
The family trust’s of Gabriel Brener, Joshua Friedman and Warren Rosenfeld are said to own up to 70% between them, with the other four investors having at least with 5% each. I do hope the club share the exact percentage ownerships. That would bring more promised transparency to fans.
I suspect there is a locked down decision-making and arbitration tree between all parties but Brener, Friedman and Rosenfeld will make all the key decisions.
All three of the key money men are West Coast based with only Brener having any previous experience in owning sports teams. Brener, Mexican born, owned MLS side Houston Dynamo up until 2021.
The investments made in Charlton by Brener and Friedman are small-fry for these guys. Hedge fund men used to angel investing in a broad church of activities. Less is known about the wealth of Rosenfeld, who is the owner of the not so large recycling firm Calbag Metals.
The other investors making up Global Football Partners are an interesting collaboration. The connection being Charlie Methven, who has obviously worked hard to cast his net wide to entice them to his buyer group.
Methven will clearly take on the role of spokesman as well as minority investor and there is no need to dig deep into Google to find out all you need to about the ex-Sunderland board member.
Marc Boyan is the CEO and founder of global marketing firm Miroma Group, and the most public of the owners. A pal and business partner of Gary Neville (photo) and the film star Idris Elba (link behind a pay wall). Neville has been very successful post playing and his business interests are very varied. He sold his own production company Buzz16 to Boyan’s Miroma a few months back.
Munir Javeri is the founder of Connecticut-based investment firm Sahana Capital and a business acquaintance of old friend New York Addick. NYA said that Munir “knows CM and has bought into his vision for the club, and has thus bought a relatively cheap option on it being executed successfully.”
Apparently Javeri has no interest in soccer but it’s amazing what Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have done for the recognition of English football beyond the elite.
Singapore based ACA Football Partners seem quite pleased with their recent investment and have openly written of their excitement to add Charlton to their ACAFP project of multi-club ownership.
Although it calls itself a minority owner their website goes on to say that work is “already underway between ACAFP executives and the prospective Charlton Athletic management team to share Scouting networks, data systems and coaching structures/ techniques.” (more)
An interesting mix of individuals with I am sure differing goals of expected returns. We have to have faith, something seriously damaged in the past decade, that these people have the absolute goal of making Charlton sustainably successful on and off the pitch.
I like your thinking, a broad base of directors will spread the investment and expectation which hopefully will allow the senior football staff to get on with their responsibilities. We as loyal supporters are aware that the single owner model does not work, certainly here at the Valley
I do hope you are right !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Only time will tell.
Just heard the sad news that Chris Bart-Williams has passed away at the young age of 49.
He was one of the Charlton family and my sincere condolences go to his family and to all that that had the pleasure to know him.
He was a great guy and had time for everyone .RIP Chris
A sad loss indeed. Condolences to his family. RIP
Doing some rough maths…Joshua Friedman, Gabriel Brener and Warren Rosenfeld own 23% each, ACA acquired 11% – this takes it to 80% and the other four each have 5% stakes (including Charlie Methven).
I’m two minds about this set-up. On the one hand if things are successful on the pitch and the balance sheet looks good then it will work. If we have a mid-season implosion and the club haemorrages money then it can quickly fall apart. I say that because there’s no obvious links between all of the investors – they aren’t necessarily all friends who have long relationships to fall back on as the owners of Wrexham have for example. What happens when the email goes out to strengthen the squad in the January window and we are stuck in mid-table? That’s when these things get a little strained.
We have a large Academy to fund and a women’s squad and the last set of financial results published last October made for sobering reading – a loss of £6.8m was recorded over a 10 month timespan. I don’t see that magically improving, not in League One anyway, even more so as we are adding to the squad numbers. So we have to hope that they have gone into this knowing that they are going to soak up some eye watering losses before we get anywhere near the breakeven point.
Quite simply this is a bet on one thing – promotion and we have to hope that they are going to fund the club to make a realistic push.