Barnsley Football Club is delighted to announce that Jon Flatman, formerly Chief Revenue Officer, will become permanent Chief Executive Officer following a period as Interim CEO.
In December 2023, Flatman stepped up to the role of Interim CEO after the departure of Khaled El Ahmad and has worked hard to align business goals and improve relationships with key stakeholders such as the SAG, media outlets, club partners, the Community Trust (formally Reds in the Community), internal staff and most importantly the fanbase with the launch of a new BFC Fan Advisory Board. His efforts to introduce improved communication with the fan base resulted in the move towards safe standing. Flatman will lead a newly agreed Senior Leadership team involving current staff and will work alongside Mladen Sormaz, the recently appointed Sporting Director.
Flatman joined the Club as Chief Revenue Officer in January 2023 following successful spells within Education, Consultancy and most recently at the Rugby World Cup. As Chief Revenue Officer Flatman was responsible for the highest year of commercial sales partnerships in the club's history including front of shirt partner and improved hospitality and community matchday experiences.
Club Chairman Neerav Parekh said. “Jon has a clear vision for how a modern football club should operate and he has driven a restructure that we believe will take the Club forward in a more professional manner; as a board we are delighted that he has agreed to take the role permanently. His leadership over the past few months has been impressive. During his time as Chief Revenue Officer he was influential in both the new Oakwell lease with Barnsley Council and the partnership working with the Community Trust alongside improved and diversified commercial income. Since stepping into the role as CEO, the club have improved their active listening to the fan base and implemented the Fans Advisory Board and the move to Safe Standing.”
Jon Flatman said, “To be asked to be CEO of this historic football club is an incredible honour. We are a club at the heart of the town and it has never been more important for us to give back to and create a future for the supporters who have stood behind us in recent years. There is a lot of hard work to come and there will be some new faces around the building who will work alongside Rob Zuk, Mladen Sormaz and the rest of the staff at Oakwell to help us achieve success both on and off the pitch. I am very honoured to have been given the support of Neerav, Jean, James and Julie Anne and I am looking forward to the challenge.”
Barnsley Football club are keen to promote staff from within and ensure that the pathways are in place for staff to become leaders in their field and to grow as individuals. Additional hires and internal staff changes will be announced in the coming weeks.
