Craig Hemmings steps down as Preston North End chairman
Long-time PNE supporter and business leader Ian Penrose will become Non-Executive Chairman from 13th October 2025
Preston North End have confirmed that Craig Hemmings will step down from his role as Chairman, with Ian Penrose set to take over as the new Non-Executive Chairman from 13th October 2025.
The club says Penrose, a lifelong supporter and season card holder of PNE, brings "a wealth of experience from his career in sport, technology, gaming and media."
He has served as CEO for more than 20 years across two London Stock Exchange-listed companies, Arena Leisure PLC and Sportech PLC.
Currently, Penrose is the Senior Independent Director of Playtech PLC, Vice-Chairman of Weatherbys Limited, and a Non-Executive Director of Sydney-based DataWorks Group.
He has also held the role of Trustee and Chairman for four years at the National Football Museum, reflecting his long-standing connection to British sport and heritage.
Craig Hemmings, the outgoing Chairman and representative of the club’s owners, the Hemmings family, said: “Having been Chairman of this historic club for over six years, and with growing responsibility across the other family businesses, I have felt it was time for me to find a successor, the right successor, for some time.
“I am therefore delighted that Ian has agreed to take over the role of Chairman. I have known Ian for many years, and I look forward to working with him as he oversees the Hemmings family financial support of the club and works with us to find new custodians. Success on the pitch is our primary wish, but also a club with community and people at its core. I am sure that Ian will bring some fresh ideas and impetus to PNE, to help guide the club forward over the important period ahead.”
Speaking on his appointment, Ian Penrose said: “It is an absolute privilege to be appointed Chairman of the football club that I have supported since I was a boy. This is a proud football club, with incredible heritage, and I have taken my own personal pride in trying to spread the message of our great club as I have worked around the world.
“The Hemmings family have been supporters and financial benefactors for many years, weathering times of great difficulty and change in the football industry, and I look forward to working with them and all at PNE to achieve the best we can for the club and for the fans, of which I will always remain one.”