West Ham appoint Karim Virani as interim CEO after Brady exit

West Ham United have appointed Karim Virani as interim chief executive officer, turning to a former senior commercial lead at the club to steady operations after the departure of Baroness Karren Brady.Virani’s appointment comes amid a broader leadership reset, with the board seeking continuity in day-to-day execution while ownership dynamics and senior management roles remain in flux.Virani said: “I am proud and honoured to be returning to West Ham United, a Club I have a deep affinity and admiration for.“I am determined to do everything I can to help the Club achieve our objectives, with the absolute priority and focus of everyone here right now on supporting Nuno Espírito Santo and his players as they look to finish the season positively.“In recent weeks and months, Nuno, his coaches, the players, staff and our supporters have shown great commitment and collective spirit to help improve our position in the Premier League. We have a mission to achieve between now and the end of the season and nothing will distract us from that.”Brady stepped down earlier this month after 16 years in a senior leadership role that spanned the club’s move to London Stadium and a period of significant commercial growth, but also sustained supporter tension around governance and strategy.The executive changes have coincided with a separate boardroom transition, with co-owner Daniel Kretinsky set to increase his stake via a purchase of shares from the Gold family holding, alongside David Sullivan also expected to buy stock to maintain balance at board level.West Ham have also faced further senior departures and succession questions, creating an unusually crowded agenda for an interim chief executive covering football operations, commercial delivery, stakeholder management and internal governance.The club’s joint-chairs David Sullivan, Daniel Kretinsky and Vanessa Gold said: “He brings great experience, expertise, vision and leadership, along with a deep understanding and knowledge of West Ham United, making him the perfect candidate to lead the Club’s day-to-day operation during this interim period.”The backdrop is a high-pressure run-in on the pitch, with West Ham battling to secure Premier League status, a factor that materially affects sponsor value, matchday demand, player trading plans and summer budgeting.Virani’s immediate focus is expected to be operational stability and alignment across departments as the club works through leadership change while protecting core revenues and planning for multiple sporting scenarios.The next steps are clarifying the club’s longer-term executive structure and governance responsibilities, alongside confirming how the ownership reshuffle translates into decision-making as West Ham head into the close season.