London: Susan Whelan, the Chief Executive Officer of Leicester City Football Club, is set to attend the prestigious Irish Post Awards 2016 in London where she will accept an Award for her Outstanding Contribution to Business in Britain.
Dublin-born Susan – a senior executive of two market-leading companies on opposite sides of the world – will receive the award after the most remarkable year, which saw unfancied Leicester City pull off one of the greatest miracles in sporting history, defying odds of 5000-1 to win the Premier League.
Susan’s sizeable contribution to the story is a consequence of her successfully translating the commercial principles of high-class retail to the notoriously impulsive world of professional sport.
She began her career working in her family’s city center jewelry business, building a passion and astuteness for retail that she would go on to develop as a global buyer, firstly for Aer Rianta and, subsequently, for emerging Thai company King Power. Of her 20 years in the industry – which has included appointments in locations from Russia and Pakistan to China, the Middle East and Thailand – 17 have been spent with King Power, where she holds the position of Senior Executive Vice President and has helped build one of the world’s leading duty free retailers.
A trusted, long-time aide to King Power’s owners, the Srivaddhanaprabha family, Susan’s experience and business acumen made her the ideal candidate to lead the execution of their long-term vision for Leicester City Football Club, following its purchase in August 2010. In just six years since, Susan has overseen a holistic transformation of a club, not long out of English football’s third tier upon her arrival, to Premier League champions. The team’s achievements on the pitch aligned with the club’s smart management, intelligent practices and community engagement has made the Leicester City story one of the greatest sporting tales ever told, capturing the hearts of people all over the world.
The Irish Post Awards is an annual gala dinner and awards evening hosted by The Irish Post, the biggest selling newspaper and daily news site for the Irish in Britain. The annual event will be held at The Great Room at the Grosvenor House on Park Lane on Friday 25th November 2016, and will see over 1,000 guests come together to celebrate the many successes of the Irish in Britain across a range of industries. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan will deliver the Keynote Speech on the evening and Eamonn Holmes will once again act as the Master of Ceremonies. Martin O’Neill will attend on the evening to accept the Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award and Shane Richie will attend to receive the Entertainment Legend Award for his contribution to the industry throughout his career.
For further information on the event, visit www.theirishpostawards.com or contact Sarah Murphy at sarah.murphy@irishpost.co.uk or on 0044 (0) 20 8900 4159.
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