Katie Charles played a key role in a number of high-profile challenges faced by Everton
A general view of Everton fans outside Hill Dickinson Stadium prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Sunderland. Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
A general view of Everton fans outside Hill Dickinson Stadium prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Sunderland. Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
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A senior figure who helped steer Everton through its takeover and regulatory ordeals is set to depart the club.
Katie Charles, the Blues’ chief legal counsel, held a key role throughout the turbulence of recent years and was a central part of the process that eventually led to the Friedkin Group (TFG) taking ownership of the club from Farhad Moshiri in December 2024.
She was also involved in the club’s representations through its hearings and appeals under the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulatory framework (PSR).
Charles joined the club just over eight years ago and rose through the legal department to become director of legal services and then chief legal counsel.
Her role saw her deal with the efforts of Moshiri to find an exit from the club, one that included the attempted takeover by 777 Partners and eventual purchase by TFG.
Appointed company secretary in November 2023, she continued in her role after TFG received approval for their takeover in late 2024 - a nod to the high regard she was held in given the extent of top-level change that swept through the club upon the completion of the deal. The outgoing Moshiri also praised her for her work within the senior leadership team at the time.
Charles held that position until last month, according to documents filed by the club to Companies House.
Her exit, understood to be on amicable terms, marks the departure of a well-respected official who was at forefront of efforts to navigate the multiple battles faced by the club through the turmoil that characterised the final years of Moshiri’s ownership.
His sale of Everton was a protracted process that involved talks with a series of prospective new owners that included 777 and TFG, which pulled out of one bid before later returning and securing a takeover.
Against that backdrop fell the PSR cases and appeals that ended with Everton receiving a total of eight points deducted from their tally during the 2023/24 campaign, while on the pitch the team successfully fended off relegation threats.