UPDATE
North Melbourne have confirmed CEO Ben Amarfio has tendered his resignation to the club’s board.
According to a club statement, Amarfio announced his resignation to staff on Friday afternoon.
Following the decision, President Sonja Hood praised Amarfio for his leadership, particularly during the tough times of COVID-19.
“Ben is one of the most talented and hard-working executives I know and his genuine care for his executive team and staff is something I have witnessed first-hand,” Hood said via statement.
“Shortly after he commenced his role, we were hit with COVID and his leadership helped steer us through some difficult circumstances.
“His passion and drive to take our club forward has been the catalyst for the club to be in such a position of strength off the field.
“Everyone is now optimistic about our future AFL on-field prospects, and our AFLW team looks poised to enjoy yet another successful season.
“On a personal note, Ben has provided exceptional support and counsel to me, and I have loved working with him.
“I want to thank Ben for his dedication to North Melbourne over the past three years and everyone at the club wishes him well.”
Amarfio says he leaves satisfied having left the club in a strong position with Alastair Clarkson taking the reigns.
“When I joined North Melbourne I was struck by the privilege of meeting and building relationships with wonderful North people and partners and the exciting prospect of assisting in the turnaround of our proud club’s on and off field situation,” Amarfio said via a statement.
“The past few months in particular have taken a toll and I am keen to take a break once we close out some major projects and activities. In my final few months, among other things, we’d like to progress our Arden Masterplan, secure a national draft assistance package from the AFL, extend some major sponsor partnerships and launch a future fund for the club.
“I will leave satisfied that a very solid foundation has been laid and the club is in a wonderful position to grow from an off- and on-field perspective for our men’s and women’s programs.”
Amarfio will remain in the role until the club finds a new CEO.
EARLIER
North Melbourne CEO Ben Amarfio has resigned from his position according to Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary.
Amarfio has been in the position since late 2019, taking over from Carl Dilena who had previously held the role for seven years.
He led the club to be debt free for the first time in 34 years during his tenure, but according to SEN’s Sam Edmund, his position bordered on “untenable” last month.
While the club has recently announced the hiring of Alastair Clarkson as coach, that appointment was largely driven by club President Sonja Hood.
Although Hood herself confirmed earlier this year that Amarfio’s job was secure for 2023, that didn’t take into account a potential resignation.
Amarfio was previously a Cricket Austalia executive and the General Manager of Southern Cross Austereo before arriving at Arden Street.
Breaking - North Melbourne CEO Ben Amarfio has resigned from his position.
— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) September 2, 2022
He led the club to being debt-free for the first time in 34 years.
But the writing had been on the wall after president Sonja Hood drove the appointment of Alastair Clarkson. @7NewsMelbourne
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