15th September 2026
September 15 – Arsenal have appointed Omar Shaikh as their first chief revenue officer, joining the executive team with a brief spanning partnerships, ventures, commercial venue and retail.
Shaikh arrived in 2023 to lead growth in partnerships, then took on the wider partnerships and ventures operation in 2024, and the club credit him with a big role in evolving the commercial business since.
The club’s announcement said Shaikh will “help drive revenue growth that supports our ambition to win major trophies, while keeping supporters at the heart of everything we do.”
What “first ever CRO” really means is that revenue functions once scattered across different offices now report through one seat at executive level. And that matters on the pitch, if only indirectly. Mikel Arteta’s contract talks, the summer outlay on Bruno Guimarães and Ezri Konsa, and any January move for a forward all lean on what the commercial side can generate. Even a title-winning club must fund Champions League wages.
The obvious tension is already there in the comments under the announcement on social media, fans asking for growth that also keeps tickets affordable.