Exec overhaul | Manchester United appoints new People Director amid ongoing leadership shake-up

Manchester United has announced the appointment of a new People Director, a key hire in the club’s evolving leadership team as it continues its transformation both on and off the pitch.

Kirstin Furber, who will take up the post this autumn, joins from Channel 4 where she has spent the last five years as people director. Her CV includes senior HR roles at BBC Worldwide and 20th Century Fox, alongside board-level experience in sport, having served as a non-executive director of British Wheelchair Basketball and the London FA.

She will report directly to CEO Omar Berrada and take a leading role in shaping the club’s workforce strategy, organisational culture and people operations. Her appointment comes as Manchester United looks to build what it has described as a “world-class employee experience” that reflects the “passion and spirit of football.”

Man Utd’s new HR chief to drive people strategy and cultural change

Furber steps into the role following the planned departure of Annie Hale, who has led the club’s people function since 2019. Hale, whose remit recently included overseeing a wave of redundancies, is due to leave this summer alongside two other senior executives: commercial director Florence Lafaye and chief commercial development officer James Holroyd.