David Kogan OBE is the Government's preferred candidate for
Independent Football Regulator Chair, the Culture Secretary
announced today.
David Kogan OBE has held senior positions in the television and
sports industries during a 45 year career as a media executive,
business leader and corporate advisor. He negotiated a succession
of multi-billion pound TV rights deals on behalf of major
sporting bodies, including the Premier League and the English
Football League. He has also advised UEFA, The Scottish Premier
League, Six Nations, Premier Rugby and the NFL. Most recently he
sold the broadcast rights on behalf of the Woman's Super League.
He is a former managing director of Reuters Television (the
global television news agency), and an ex-CEO of the Magnum photo
agency. He has co-founded both Reel Enterprises and the Women's
Sports Group. He is currently an advisor to the New York Times
Group and CNN on their commercial, digital and AI strategies.
Among his public boards David was a non-executive director at
Channel 4, a member of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office's
Services board from 2007-14 and Chair of Westminster Kingsway
Corporation. He is the author of three books.
David will now appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport
Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said:
David brings with him a wealth of expertise from the sport and
media industries having worked across a number of high-profile
governing bodies, competition organisers and major media
corporations in a very impressive career. It makes him an
outstanding candidate to be the chair of the independent football
regulator.
This will be a vital, public role to ensure sensible, light-touch
regulation helps to strengthen financial sustainability and put
fans back at the heart of the game.
David Kogan OBE said:
Across the country millions of us share a passion for football, a
game that is not only part of our national heritage but one of
our most valuable cultural exports. That's why as both a
supporter and someone with many years spent working in football,
I am honoured to have been asked to be the preferred candidate
for chair of the newly created Independent Football
Regulator.
Our professional clubs, whatever their size, are a source of
local and national pride. They generate economic growth and
investment, unite communities, and create shared experiences and
memories that transcend generations.
The job of the regulator is to work with those clubs, their
owners, and their supporters to create a dynamic framework that
will ensure the game is on a sound financial footing so that it
can continue to flourish and to grow. I cannot wait to get
started.
The Football Governance Bill, which is currently going through
Parliament, will establish the Independent Football Regulator and
a new set of rules to protect clubs, empower fans and keep clubs
at the heart of their communities.
The Regulator will tackle rogue owners and directors, implement a
club licensing regime to help ensure a more consistent approach
in how clubs are run, monitor club finances and improve fan
engagement throughout the football pyramid - from the Premier
League to the National League. It will also have a backstop
measure to mediate a fair financial distribution between Leagues,
should they be unable to come to an agreement
The Regulator will help to ensure English football remains one of
the country's greatest exports, and places fans back at the heart
of the game, so that local clubs in towns and cities continue to
thrive for generations.
Notes to editors
