Essendon has an interest in luring former North Melbourne CEO Carl Dilena to the club as its next chief executive, according to a report in The Age.
Dilena recently commenced at St Kilda as the club’s chief operating officer, however it’s reported the Saints are aware Dilena is a potential candidate for the Bombers.
Dilena has previously worked with new Bombers coach Brad Scott when the pair combined at North Melbourne.
He oversaw much of Scott’s tenure at the Roos and was CEO when the two parties split in 2019. Dilena also played a big role in the club announcing they were debt-free last year despite that mark eventually being reached under Ben Amarfio as the club’s chief executive.
Essendon has been without a CEO since Andrew Thorburn resigned after a day in the job. He took on the role from long-serving chief executive Xavier Campbell, who stepped down shortly after Ben Rutten was sacked by the board.
Board member Kevin Sheedy said last week that he expected a decision in the next two weeks.
The Bombers, North Melbourne, Collingwood and the AFL are all searching for CEOs.