Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves resigns from position at Hawks

The man who oversaw the transition from Alastair Clarkson to Sam Mitchell at Hawthorn, CEO Justin Reeves, has resigned from his position at the club.

Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves has resigned from his position due to the enormous toll of the club’s racism investigation.

Reeves told the board on Wednesday he would step down and needed a break amid the intense pressure on the club.

In a statement the Hawks confirmed Reeves had resigned due to the “personal toll and the need to focus on his wellbeing”.

It comes only one week after North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson, who also stepped down for similar reasons, said Hawthorn should be investigated for its “shameful” practices throughout the racism saga spanning back to the bombshell allegations which dropped in September last year.

AFL executive Travis Auld, the former boss of the Gold Coast Suns, who missed out on the league’s top job won by Andrew Dillon, will be a target to replace Reeves.

Auld has also been linked to the vacant Australian Grand Prix CEO job.

Justin Reeves has stepped down as Hawthorn CEO.

Reeves spent five years at Hawthorn and led the club through a turbulent period including the end of Clarkson’s reign as coach and Jeff Kennett’s second stint as president.

But it was the weight of the club’s racism investigation which has brought an intense spotlight on the club, including decisions the Hawks made to commence the probe, and its alleged treatment of indigenous and First Nations’ players between 2008-2016.

Reeves is undecided on his next move but confirmed to the club he will take some time away to deal with the stress and scrutiny of the past eight months.

Hawthorn president Andy Gowers said the Hawks reluctantly accepted Reeves’ resignation.

“This was Justin’s call. He resigned and we, with a heavy heart, accepted his resignation,” Gowers said on 3AW.

“This has been a very trying time for, not only our club, but for the competition as we deal with the First Nations’ investigation and it’s still not resolved.

“But a number of other things. We are only just coming out of that terrible time with Covid that really did throw the competition into doubt and we were not sure if it was viable.

“Clubs moved interstate to try and get away from lockdowns and so on. Our club went to South Australia and it was a very trying time and you parlay that into the First Nations’ investigation.

“At the same time we are about to start building a $100m plus training and administration facility and that’s in addition to running a club in the AFL … so that all adds up to a lot of pressure and a lot of scrutiny and we saw the outcome of that today unfortunately.”

Travis Auld is seen as a contender to replace Reeves.

Hawthorn president Andy Gowers.

Gowers said everyone associated with the racism investigation was “hurting”, but he was doing everything he could for a swift, fair and compassionate resolution.

“We do want this to be resolved as soon as possible, but fairly and compassionately for everyone involved,” Gowers said.

“I do, of course, hope that it will show that people acted in good faith and did what they thought was best.

“It is terrible that it has gotten to where it is and I will be doing everything I can personally and our club will be doing everything it can collectively to move to a position that can hopefully resolve it as fairly and justly as possible for everyone.”

Chief commercial officer Ash Klein will take over as acting CEO as the club, led by president Andy Gowers, begins the search for a new chief executive officer.

Reeves said it was the right time for change at Hawthorn as he looked to prioritise his mental health and spend more time with family.

Justin Reeves has stepped down with years to run on a five-year contract.

He signed a five-year contract at the end of 2021 but will reach an agreement about a financial settlement with the club.

“I’ve worked hard with my team to establish strong foundations for the club to work through some important cultural, strategic and operational matters and, with that work done, I’m confident the club can emerge stronger than ever,” Reeves said.

“I believe now is the right time to hand over to new leadership. I’m confident my departure will allow the board to identify a new CEO to lead our incredibly talented executive team, to ensure future club sustainability and success and support club coaches Sam Mitchell and Bec Goddard.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead Hawthorn and thank the club’s ever so talented employees, loyal members and committed commercial partners.”

Gowers thanked Reeves for his contribution to the club which had helped the Hawks post year-on-year profits.

He also led the club through the pandemic, secured key funding to build the new training base in Dingley, and signed contracts with major partners including Tasmania.

Reeves and former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

Reeves supported the club’s decision to rebuild the playing list which included brave calls to trade Jaeger O’Meara and Tom Mitchell.

“Justin is a highly respected sporting executive, which is a reputation built from delivering great results and running sound operations for more than 15 years in AFL football,” Gowers said.

“On behalf of the Board, I thank Justin for his unwavering commitment to the Hawks over nearly six years, during which there has been some challenging periods that required astute leadership.

“Hawthorn has initiated a search for a new CEO and we look forward to working with Acting CEO Ash Klein in the meantime.”