AC Milan are preparing to add a new figure to the club’s senior structure, with Gerry Cardinale set to appoint James Fontanella-Khan as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.
The decision
Fontanella-Khan will be responsible for shaping Milan’s approach to relations with Italian and international institutions. He is expected to work closely with owner Gerry Cardinale, president Paolo Scaroni and chief executive Massimo Calvelli, adding a corporate and institutional voice to the club’s leadership group.
The appointment brings an unusual football connection with it. Born in 1983, Fontanella-Khan grew up in Italy and played as a goalkeeper before moving into journalism. His early years included Piacenza’s youth system, where he spent four seasons from 1996 to 2000 and reached Primavera level.
During that period he shared a dressing room with Alberto Gilardino, who would later win both the Champions League and the Club World Cup with Milan. Fontanella-Khan then played in Serie D for Pavia during the 2000-01 campaign.
After leaving Italian football, he built a 20-year career at the Financial Times, covering finance and the business of sport. In recent months he has served as the publication’s US Finance Editor, while he has also interviewed Cardinale on several occasions during his reporting career.
For Milan, the move is part of a wider effort to reinforce the club beyond the pitch, placing institutional strategy alongside the sporting and commercial work already overseen by the Rossoneri hierarchy.
SEO title: AC Milan set to appoint James Fontanella-Khan as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
SEO description: AC Milan are preparing to appoint former journalist and ex-Piacenza youth goalkeeper James Fontanella-Khan to lead the club’s institutional relations strategy.
