Carlton to appoint Graham Wright as deputy CEO in succession plan with Brian Cook

One of footy’s most respected administrators is set to join Carlton in an off-field coup, with the appointment to be confirmed on Wednesday. GLENN MCFARLANE has details.

Carlton is set to unveil former Collingwood football boss Graham Wright as the club’s deputy chief executive with the view to him taking over from Brian Cook at the end of next season.

The Herald Sun understands the appointment will be announced on Wednesday, with Wright set to complete a handover period alongside Cook, who will retire following the 2025 season.

It is an administrative coup from the Blues, after Wright was targeted by the AFL for a senior football role, but also sounded out by Adelaide for a position there too.

The new Tasmanian team was also a possible landing point for him.

Graham Wright speaks to Nathan Buckley during a game. Picture: Michael Klein

Brian Cook and Carlton president Luke Sayers. Picture: Michael Klein

Wright has only recently returned from an overseas sabbatical, taking leave from his role at Collingwood to travel with his wife.

But he chose not to return to the Magpies in August after playing a key role in driving them towards the 2023 premiership.

Carlton has been searching for a long-term replacement for Cook for the past year, with the key objective being that the successful candidate would work for a year under the veteran CEO who is still regarded as one of the best in the business.

Cook was involved in the process of appointing Wright, along with the club’s president Luke Sayes and the rest of the Carlton board.

Wright was one of the masterminds behind Hawthorn’s success. Picture: AAP Image/Joe Castro

It will see the Blues have a formidable partnership between Cook and Wright heading into next season as part of the transition of the club’s senior leadership.

Wright is one of the game’s most respected off-field minds across three and a half decades, having played key roles in premierships at Hawthorn during its three-peats of success as well as at Collingwood last year.

He has long been keen to take on a full-time role as a club chief executive,

Carlton had been canvasing a number of options, with Sayers chatting with a number of potential applicants, including former Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell.

Originally published as Carlton to appoint Graham Wright as deputy CEO in succession plan with Brian Cook