Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick has announced he’s standing down at the age of 80.
The merchant banker had served in the role for the past seven years, and provided a personal statement on the honour of serving the club he grew up supporting.
“It has been an honour to be the chairman of this great football club,” read the statement on the club’s official website.
“Arsenal has always held a special place in my life and that will remain the case in the future.”
Back in Autumn, there had been reports (per The Athletic ) that Keswick had considered resigning amid growing unrest in the fanbase as the side struggled for results on the pitch during the final months of Unai Emery’s reign as manager.
In spite of his high-profile title as the club’s figurehead, Keswick was neither a prominent nor outspoken figure in the media.
Here’s everything you need to know about Keswick, the influence he had at the club, and what his retirement means going forward.
Who is Chips Keswick?
Sir John Chippendale ‘Chips’ Lindley Keswick was born into the fourth generation of the Scottish business dynasty Keswick family, which amassed wealth as opium traders in the mid-19th century before moving onto other industries such as railways, textiles and property development.
Born in 1940, he was a boyhood Gunners fan and went on to be educated at Eton and Aix-Marseille University, later serving as chairman of Hambros Bank between 1986 to 1998 and as a director at the Bank of England.
He received his knighthood midway through his tenure as Hambros chairman, named in the New Years honours list of 1992.
He’s been married to Lady Sarah Ramsay, daughter of Simon Ramsay, the 16th Earl of Dalhousie, since 1966 and they have three sons.
Arsenal involvement
He originally joined the board at Arsenal in November 2005, not long before the move to The Emirates.
Originally a director, Keswick went on to succeed Peter Hill-Wood as chairman in the summer of 2013, with his predecessor stepping down on health grounds.
Little has been reported about Keswick’s influence and involvement behind the scenes at Arsenal, but it’s understood that his role was largely ceremonial.
He was re-elected to the board during an AGM in 2017, alongside the controversial Josh Kroenke, whom the Arsenal Supporters Trust urged shareholders not to re-appoint due to "dissatisfaction at the current ownership and governance arrangements".
"Sir Chips Keswick's experience is extensive," explained former chief executive Ivan Gazidis at the time.
"He brings this tremendous wealth of experience and high-end knowledge to our club and is a lifelong fan.
"He is beholden to no one and always speaks his mind."
Retirement
Keswick had planned to step down at the end of the season anyway, but he won’t continue to fulfil the role during the final weeks of Arsenal’s campaign.
“I made my plan to retire at the end of this season clear to the board, before the global health crisis we are now experiencing,” he explained.
“I know Arsenal will emerge strongly from this situation and I look forward, like all our supporters around the world, to seeing the team in action as soon as possible.”
June 17th is the new date announced for the resumption of the Premier League season.
With the threat of coronavirus not yet over, and official government advice still for people over the age of 70 to stay home, there’s perhaps a practical issue of health and safety for the 80-year-old’s earlier departure.
What next?
As reported by football.london yesterday, Arsenal will not be appointing a new chairman with the day-to-day running of the club largely unaffected.
Arsenal have confirmed that the board will be comprised of Stan Kroenke, Josh Kroenke, Lord Harris and Ken Friar.
“Our primary concern at this difficult time is the health and well-being of our staff and players,” continued Stan and Josh Kroenke in the club statement.
“It’s also our intention to ensure Arsenal Football Club emerges from this crisis in a strong position. That’s what we’re all working on every day.”
