Keith Edelman

Keith Edelman is a renowned board member and executive leader, whose 30-year career has delved into the sectors of retail, leisure, property, consumer goods, and media. He is a former Managing Director at Arsenal Football Club, former Chairman at Revolution Bars Group, former Non-Executive Chairman at Headlam Group, Chairman at Jewellery Quarter Bullion, and Board Mentor at Criticaleye. He is the man behind the moving of Arsenal FC from Highbury to Emirates Stadium, providing exciting insights during his speaking engagements, including how to get things done in a tough environment.

Keith graduated from The University of Manchester in 1971 with a BSc in Management Sciences. He began his career in finance, working for organisations such as Rank Xerox, IBM, and Fiat, followed by joining Bank of America in 1978, first as Planning Manager in the EMEA Division, and then Finance Director, covering the UK and Nordic region. Next, he was Managing Director at Bank of America Finance, and 1983 saw him take on the role of UK Strategic Director/Director of Finance at Grand Metropolitan, before Ladbroke Group as a Corporate Planning Director. Between 1991 and 2003, he held positions at Carlton Communications, Storehouse, and Eurotunnel.

In 2000, Keith became Managing Director at Arsenal Football Club for nine years, where he spearheaded the moving of the club from Highbury to Emirates Stadium. In the space of six years, under Keith’s leadership, £560m was raised and £260m refinanced, with the old Highbury Stadium being converted into over 700 apartments, and a number of other developments being sold and resulting in more than 2,500 homes and 1,000 workplaces being built. The brand-new Emirates Stadium was opened on time and on budget in 2006, which came with the signing of 10-plus new sponsorship deals, including the largest two ever signed in the UK at that time.

Further positions held by Keith have been Chairman, Non-Executive Director, and Senior Independent Director at various organisations, and he is currently Board Mentor at Criticaleye. As his work as Chairman at Headlam and Revolution Bars Group comes to an end, Keith is looking to take on more speaking opportunities. As a speaker, Keith takes his lessons learned into account, homing in on how to stay motivated in the face of challenges and how more can be achieved faster. Audiences will certainly be left feeling inspired by the words of Arsenal Football Club’s legendary former managing director.