City AM

Tottenham Hotspur director Cullen steps down after 30 years’ service

Tottenham Hotspur have announced further boardroom change this summer with the resignation of highly regarded executive director Donna-Maria Cullen after more than 30 years’ service.

Cullen, 62, began working for the club as an adviser in 1992 before joining the board in 2006 and has been a key member of chairman Daniel Levy’s operation.

Her departure comes as former Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham takes up the same post at local rivals Spurs, who are also mulling the future of manager Ange Postecoglou.

“This has been such a hard decision to make. The club has been my life for the past three decades,” said Cullen.

“I have had the privilege of working with Daniel, whose vision and energy has driven the club forward, and so many talented and wonderful colleagues.

“It has been quite some journey, starting at White Hart Lane, with a brief stay at Wembley and finally our new home – amazing memories home and away. Ending this season with the Europa League trophy was a dream come true.

“The time is now right for me to gather more time for myself and my family, whom I thank for all their support over the years. I shall spend the coming months ensuring there is a smooth handover with my staff. Thank you all. I wish everyone at the club all the success in the world.”

Cullen steps down with the club on a high from their success last month in the Europa League, which secured their place in the Champions League next season.

Prior to joining Tottenham she worked in management consultancy and corporate affairs, including for Lord Bell’s group of companies, Chime plc.

Cullen ‘instrumental’ in Tottenham stadium

“Donna has made an immense contribution to the club, over an extensive period. Her diverse responsibilities grew significantly and replacing her roles with a single individual will be impossible,” said Levy.

“While many may associate her primarily with marketing and communications, Donna’s impact extends far beyond those areas.

“Notably, her leadership and political acumen at planning committees, was instrumental in the club being able to build one of the finest stadiums and training centres in the world.

“She deserves recognition for the contribution she played in the formation of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, which has positively impacted countless individuals in our communities, and in establishing the London Academy of Excellence, providing children with exceptional educational opportunities.

“Donna has pushed the conscience of the club to be at the forefront of environmental and diversity initiatives. She also played a crucial role in supporting the amateur part-time Spurs Ladies, enabling the development of our professional women’s team.

“Her daily input will be greatly missed, however she fully deserves to take time for herself, and I know that we shall be able to call upon her advice when needed. We wish her well for the future.”

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Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has hit out at the club’s transfer spending critics after the north London club made a loss after tax of £26.2m last year.

The figure is a reduction on the £86.8m loss suffered in 2022-23 and the accounts for the year to 30 June 2024 showed a huge decrease in Uefa prize money from £56.2m – when the club reached the last 16 of the Champions League – to just £1.3m, in the season Spurs failed to qualify for European competition.

Chairman Levy said: “Since opening our new stadium in April 2019, we have invested over £700m net in player acquisitions.

“I often read calls for us to spend more, given that we are ranked as the ninth richest club in the world. However, a closer examination of today’s financial figures reveals that such spending must be sustainable in the long term.”

Spurs revenue streams

The 63-year-old, who has held his position at Tottenham since 2001, added that the club “cannot spend what we do not have” and will not “compromise the financial stability of this club”.

Much of the club’s loss of income from football has been cushioned by revenue gained from hosting events such as the NFL, rugby and concerts – including a run of Beyonce shows which will return this summer.

The club last year received local authority permission to increase the number of non-football events at the stadium to 30 per year, and will this month host the high-profile boxing bout between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn.

“I want to thank everyone who supports us through good times and bad. We are resilient and passionate about our club,” Levy concluded. “We shall aim to finish this season as strongly as we can and continue to build for success on the pitch.”

Spurs are 14th in the Premier League, 15 points off the top four with nine games to play.

Elsewhere, Everton recorded a seventh straight loss. Though their £53m deficit is lower than the £89m sum from 2022-23, the club’s total losses over the last seven years are now £570m.