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Sunderland AFC chief talks business

FUTURE entrepreneurs studying in the region will be getting words of wisdom from the man who loaned Newcastle United £15 million to sign Former England Captain, Alan Shearer.

Steve Walton, Chief executive of Sunderland AFC and former Chief executive of Newcastle United will speak to students today at The University of Sunderland Business School.

University of Sunderland Business School senior lecturer Derek Harwood invited Steve Walton to speak to the students.

He said: “To hear first-hand about the experience of someone who has been involved in many major business decisions which have had huge impacts on the region and much further afield will really bring home to them the priorities and pressures of life as a chief executive of a nationally high profile business.”

Before his spells as Chief Executive at both Newcastle United and Sunderland, the Wearsider spent over thirty years at Barclays bank.

During this time he became the north of England’s banking expert on higher education and football clubs.

He was eventually the banker for ten of the 20 Premier League Clubs.

Mr Walton added: “Football clubs are largely a collection of businesses rather than an individual business.

“The challenge of trying to run the whole business is fascinating. “Obviously there’s the challenge that you’re measured in football every week but the big challenge for me is to make these disparate businesses all work as one.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .