Sport

Leicester City FC chief Susan Whelan to be honoured at The Irish Post Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Business in Britain

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 20: Leicester City CEO Susan Whelan during Claudio Ranieri's first press conference as Leicester City manager at the King Power Stadium on July 20, 2015 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images

THE Irish woman leading the charge at one of Britain's leading football clubs will be honoured later this month at The Irish Post Awards.

Susan Whelan, Chief Executive Officer of Leicester City Football Club, is set to attend the prestigious ceremony in London where she will accept an award for her Outstanding Contribution to Business in Britain.

The Dublin-born woman, a senior executive of two market-leading global companies, will receive the award after a remarkable year that saw unfancied Leicester City pull off one of the greatest miracles in sporting history when they defied odds of 5,000-1 to win the Premier League.

Susan’s sizeable contribution to this story of success saw her successfully translate the commercial principles of high-class retail to the notoriously impulsive world of professional sport.

Having begun her career in Ireland working in her family’s city centre jewellery business, she grew her passion and astuteness for retail that saw her go on to develop a career as a global buyer - firstly for Aer Rianta and later with emerging Thai company King Power.

Of her 20 years in the industry, which has included appointments in Russia, Pakistan, China, the Middle East and Thailand, 17 have been spent with King Power, where she holds the position of Senior Executive Vice President helping to build one of the world’s leading duty free retailers.

A trusted, long-time aide to King Power’s owners, the Srivaddhanaprabha family, Susan’s experience and business acumen made her the ideal candidate to lead the execution of their long-term vision for Leicester City Football Club following its purchase in August 2010.

Over the last six years, Susan has overseen the holistic transformation of the club to Preimer League champions - an incredible feat for a team not long out of English football’s third tier upon her arrival.

The team’s achievements on the pitch - aligned with the club’s smart management, intelligent practices and community engagement - has made the Leicester City story one of the greatest sporting tales ever told, capturing the hearts of people all over the world.

Leicester players celebrate their remarkable Premier League title win [Pictures: Getty]

Leicester players celebrate their remarkable Premier League title win (Picture: Getty Images)

Susan Whelan will be among the guests of honour at this year's Irish Post Awards - an annual gala dinner and awards evening hosted by The Irish Post, the biggest selling newspaper and daily news site for the Irish in Britain.

The annual event will be held at The Great Room at the Grosvenor House on Park Lane on Friday, November 25 where over 1,000 guests will celebrate the many successes of the Irish in Britain across a range of industries.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan will deliver the keynote speech on the evening with Eamonn Holmes once again acting as the Master of Ceremonies.

Martin O’Neill will attend on the evening to accept the Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award and Shane Richie will attend to receive the Entertainment Legend Award for his contribution to the industry throughout his career.