Henrik Pedersen opens up on David Bruce talks after key Sheffield Wednesday appointment
Arise Capital Partners LLC have wasted no time in strengthening Sheffield Wednesday’s off-field structure, bringing in David Bruce as CEO.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen has welcomed Arise Capital Partners LLC’s decision to appoint David Bruce as the club’s new chief executive, admitting he has a “really, really good feeling” about his arrival at Hillsborough.
Bruce was unveiled as the club’s new CEO on Saturday ahead of the victory over West Bromwich Albion as part of new owner David Storch’s maiden speech, after he, alongside his son, Michael, and Tom Costin, secured control of the Owls on Friday.
Arise are understood to want to strive for excellence in every department at Hillsborough, both on and off the pitch, and Storch confirmed in an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield back in March that he wanted to rebuild the club’s off-field structure by appointing the likes of a CEO and a sporting director.
Bruce has joined Wednesday after recently leaving his post of chief business officer at Premier League outfit Sunderland. His departure came as a surprise to many at the Stadium of Light, with the highly regarded executive leaving his role under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
Developing a reputation for his approach to supporter engagement and improving Sunderland’s business model off the pitch, it appears Wednesday have pulled off a coup to bring Bruce to S6 for the start of this new era.
With so much work to be done off the pitch at Hillsborough in the coming months, Pedersen, who has had to step forward as chief spokesman this season, answering questions no manager should ever have to face, is delighted with the appointment of Bruce, confirming they have already held talks to try and map out a plan to take Wednesday forward.
“I think a ship without a driver, a car without a driver, it can be difficult sometimes,” Pedersen told The Star. “To sit in the back seat and just control what you can control.
“So to have a top football club, you need to have a top, top [off-field structure]. With David, we have got a really, really good man, and we have had three or four meetings.
“I'm really looking forward to working with him.”
Offering a little bit of insight into his discussions with Bruce, Pedersen continued: “The human always comes first, the culture in Sheffield Wednesday, the structure in Sheffield Wednesday, the squad in Sheffield Wednesday, there are a lot of things. But it has only been briefly.
“Now the paper is signed, and we have a new owner, and we have a new CEO, yes, it is fantastic. So now we can start to work on the rebuild of Sheffield Wednesday.”
Outlining the importance of everyone pulling in the same direction to get Wednesday back on track after a turbulent 12 months or so, the Owls boss added: “One of the reasons why we could remain competitive this season is because we have had one coaching group and not two. Because if there are two groups in the coaching group, then there will also be two groups in the player group.
“It's always like mum and dad at home; mum says one thing, dad says something else, and then we have the situation. So this is the fundamental to create a top football club, that at the top is one unit.
“I have a really, really good feeling that we have a really good person who can do something special. So I'm really looking forward to it.”