Robert Colin Elstone (born 6 February 1964) is a British businessman. He attended the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

and is a qualified accountant. He was originally a financial controller at a Barnsley-based lead-processing plant but later became an Executive Assistant at the

Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...

. He is the brother-in-law of football manager

Mick McCarthy Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional football manager, pundit, and former player. He was last in charge of EFL Championship club Cardiff City. McCarthy began his playing career at Barnsley in 1977, and he later had ...

Deloitte

At Deloitte Touche, a company he joined in the mid-1990s, Elstone acted as an advisor to leagues, clubs and sports-related organisations on a range of strategic and commercial activities. He was involved in the creation and branding of both the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...

and the

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

and at the time said: ''"We worked on the formation of the SPL from cradle to the grave, it was long and ground-breaking, and very rewarding.'' He moved to BSkyB as a Director of Football Business Affairs in 2000 and worked closely with a number of

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

clubs following Sky's acquisition of equity in four leading clubs. In 2004, he returned to Deloitte Touche as a director.

Castleford Tigers

Whilst at his favoured

Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England, that compete in the Super League, the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The club have competed i ...

, Elstone oversaw the club's preparatory work towards relocation to a new stadium. He resigned from his position in January 2007 citing family reasons. He said: ''"I have been very conscious of the declining commitment I have been able to give to the Club over the past 12 months. The combination of a demanding job, a young family and the simple fact of where I live means that I cannot fulfil my duties to the level they demand. As a lifelong fan, I have felt incredibly privileged to serve the Club in such an important capacity over the past few years. However, I have to say, after a long time away, I'm really looking forward to going back into the Wheldon Road End and becoming a proper fan again. ''"

Everton Football Club

Elstone joined Everton as deputy to

Keith Wyness Keith Wyness (born 26 October 1958) is a Scottish businessman and football executive, most recently he was the Chief Executive of Aston Villa football club. He previously held the same position at Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen and later ...

in June 2005. As Deputy CEO it was his responsibility to assist in ''"developing an efficient organisational structure, securing and empowering a strong management team, ensuring appropriate levels of financial reporting and accountability, delivering commercial growth, principally via filling the stadium at higher yields and securing new sponsors"''. He is responsible for the negotiation of the club's long-standing sponsorship deal with Chang. He was appointed as Acting chief executive officer on 5 August 2008 following the resignation of Wyness. On 22 January 2009 he was appointed as CEO on a permanent basis. Upon his appointment he said: ''"This is a big job – one of the biggest in world football – but I can promise all Evertonians that I will work tirelessly for the cause."'' In March 2016 he was appointed to the Everton Football Club board. Elstone left his role as Everton CEO in June 2017, having taken the role of Chief Executive of

. He was replaced by Denise Barrett-Baxendale. Elstone’s employment as a Director was terminated by Everton on 1 June 2018. He was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to sport.

References

External links

EvertonFC.com Profile

Management Consultancy profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elstone, Robert Alumni of the University of Hull British sports executives and administrators Everton F.C. directors and chairmen People from Cheadle Hulme People from Bramhall Sportspeople from Barnsley English accountants Living people 1964 births English businesspeople Members of the Order of the British Empire