UK. Leicester City Chief Executive Susan Whelan has been awarded an OBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s 2022 Birthday Honours. Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is among the leading honours bestowed by Her Majesty The Queen in recognition of outstanding work that benefits the UK.
Whelan, who also serves as Senior Executive Vice President of Thai travel retailer King Power International, joined the Leicester City Football Club Board of Directors in 2010 and became Chief Executive a year later. She received the honour in recognition of her services to football, the economy in the East Midlands and the wider community in Leicester.
She said: “I am humbled and truly privileged to accept such an honour. I’ve been fortunate to work with some remarkable people in the last 12 years – club personnel, city stakeholders and community representatives – all of whom are so passionate about Leicester, Leicestershire and its people.
“Leicester City remains enormously ambitious about its role in supporting Leicestershire’s future development, from a sporting, social and economic perspective. I’m personally very proud of the progress we have made together to date and excited about our onward journey.”
Under Whelan’s leadership, Leicester City Football Club has taken significant steps towards fulfilling the potential identified by King Power when it acquired the Club in 2010.
The football club cited her “passion for supporter engagement, for celebrating the Club’s history and for strengthening its ties with the communities it represents”. Following its historic Premier League win in 2016, the Club has lifted its first FA Cup, competed in three European campaigns and secured top-half finishes in five consecutive Premier League seasons.
Whelan, who was made a Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire in 2019, has also overseen the progression of the Club’s charitable interests – launching the LCFC Foxes Foundation in 2012. It was renamed the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation following the tragic passing of the Club’s Chairman in 2018. The Foundation continues to provide vital support to causes in Leicestershire, both those well established and those of more modest profile.
Leicester City Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “This is a most deserved honour for Susan – someone who has worked so hard and with such humility to help our Club, its supporters and communities realise our dreams.
“Leicester has been fortunate to experience some truly wonderful moments in the last 12 years, but there have also been challenges to overcome. Susan has played a big role in using those circumstances to unite people, making sure we learn from the experiences and always moving the Club forward.
“Everyone at the Club is extremely proud of her achievements and I offer my personal congratulations on such a prestigious honour.”
Further to being made Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire for services to the community, Whelan was also made an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Leicester in 2019 for her contribution to the prosperity and reputation of the city.
In 2021, she was named CEO of the Year at the prestigious Football Business Awards, the same year the Club won the award for Best Fan Engagement.
