Jeremy Dale makes Birmingham City promise and reveals what Garry Cook asked of him
Interim chief executive Jeremy Dale has released an open letter addressing all those of a Birmingham City persuasion, after taking up the reins which Garry Cook vacated earlier this month. Blues confirmed that Cook would be stepping away from his role as CEO last week for 'personal reasons'.
In the meantime, Dale - a former Microsoft executive who helped to broker the deal which saw Knighthead complete their takeover of Blues in the summer of 2023 - has been appointed as the club's acting CEO in the meantime, and he has messaged the club's fanbase directly in the midst of the January transfer window and ahead of their showdown with Wrexham.
Dale, a Blues fan himself, spoke of the pride he has taken in assuming the role following Cook's departure, while he also revealed that Cook had asked him to ensure he made public the outgoing director's gratitude for the well wishes he'd received since stepping away.
READ MORE: Birmingham City transfer target set to finally complete move to England
READ MORE: Wrexham release statement before Birmingham City clash confirming 'accident'
Jeremy Dale's open letter...
"It gives me a great sense of pride to be asked by Tom Wagner and the Board to lead our Club as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Birmingham is on the rise. I've never been so enthused about what the future holds for our city, our Club and our teams: Men, Women and Academy.
Reflecting on when the takeover was announced back in May 2023, Tom Wagner penned a 'Letter to Fans' outlining Six Commitments. He asked our supporters to judge the Board, and the Club’s leadership team, by their performance against each one.
For the past 18 months, everyone at the Club - led by Chairman, Tom Wagner, and CEO, Garry Cook - has mobilised behind these commitments and our ambition to be a beacon of excellence for Birmingham on the global stage. We said we would put you, our fans, at the centre of everything we do; to positively impact the local community through our Foundation; and to build a winning culture. We have not and will not deviate from this.
Today, the club is unrecognisable from the one we inherited. We now have the owners we long hoped for and deserved. We're regularly selling out our stadium and fans arrive early, enjoying the whole matchday experience.
St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, EPIC and the Knighthead Performance Centre are places we're now proud to bring visitors. We boast a roster of commercial partners that combines some of the world’s most recognisable brands with valued local businesses who've supported us for many years.
In addition, our retail operation is delivering great products which you love. Behind the scenes, systems and processes are now in place that help us manage our business in a professional manner and our Foundation, through the power of our badge, is changing lives.
A new, powerful alliance has been built between our supporters; the local community; key stakeholders in the city; commercial partners; and all the hardworking people at our club. We're all coming together as never before. What we've collectively achieved is amazing, but we all recognise that there's so much more for us still to do. What is coming next promises to be even more impressive.
It was a privilege to be part of Garry Cook’s leadership team over the past 18 months. Garry created a team as passionate about our city and Club as he is and our collective commitment to transform both remains unaltered.
Garry has asked me to pass on his sincerest thanks for all the messages of goodwill he's received these past few days and for all the support you've given him since Knighthead invested in our club. He won't be a stranger to Blues and will continue to share his knowledge both as a member of the Advisory Board and as a Trustee of the Foundation.
It is no secret to you that I'm a passionate, lifelong Blues fan. It's a thrill to be part of the transformation of the club I've always loved. I care deeply about it and our fans, so when Tom asked me to assume the interim CEO position there was only going to be one answer: yes! I'm excited and humbled to now lead the club in this next phase.
We're on a very exciting journey together: Knighthead, the club, our partners, our community and you, our fans. I promise to serve you all to the very best of my ability. To Blues supporters around the world, I assure you we remain determined to make significant, positive change. I hope you'll continue to embrace these changes and be excited about the future.
We have two teams sitting top of their respective leagues. Their sights are firmly fixed on promotion. But we all know this period of the season is the toughest. Games come thick and fast so the support of you, our fans, will be vital. Please continue to be the powerful force you are and do all you can to encourage and drive our teams forward.
Thank you so much for your support. The best is yet to come. Keep Right On!"
