London (AFP) – The Premier League has appointed David Pemsel as its new chief executive, announcing on Wednesday that he would take up the role “no later than April 2020”.
Last November, the league selected Susanna Dinnage for the post but, after accepting, she changed her mind and decided she no longer wanted the job.
The league said Pemsel’s appointment had been approved unanimously at a special league shareholders’ meeting.
Pemsel is chief executive of the Guardian Media Group.
Bruce Buck, the chairman of the Premier League nominations committee, said: “We are delighted to welcome David to the Premier League. His straightforward style and personal integrity make him an ideal person to lead the business.
“At the Guardian, he has shown strong leadership through a period of change and transformation.”
Buck praised Richard Masters for his performance in the role of interim chief executive.
“I am thrilled to have been offered this incredible opportunity,” Pemsel said. “The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world and I am very excited to be a key part of that.”
Dinnage withdrew late in 2018 to remain in her role with the Discovery group of TV channels. Her appointment had been hailed as a significant step forward for women in sports administration.
When Pemsel takes over he will become the permanent successor to Richard Scudamore, who first joined the Premier League as chief executive in 1999. He served as executive chairman from June 2014 until his retirement in November 2018.
Scudamore is credited with driving the huge commercial success of the Premier League, particularly in domestic and overseas television rights.
When Scudamore took over as chief executive in 1999, the Premier League’s domestic television rights deal was worth around £670 million ($824m).
Sky and BT Sports agreed to pay nearly £4.5 billion to show 160 games between 2019-20 and 2021-22, while the overseas rights earned the league a further £4.2 billion.
