IN some as-yet-unannounced news, ESPN’s Dale Johnson tweeted support to Jen Chang who is to be LFC’s new Communications Director.
If this news is indeed correct it represents a departure from those who have previously held the role. But what do we know about Jen Chang? Let’s find out:
According to his LinkedIn profile, Jen’s current (or previous depending on if/when the news is confirmed) position is as Senior Editor of Sports Illustrated.
Jen (pictured during a past interview with Rafa Benitez for SI) grew up in England and was educated at the University of London, the London School of Economics, and the University of Cambridge; he spent time at Goldman Sachs and American Capital Strategies before heading over to ESPN. He worked at ESPN for about six years before heading to Sports Illustrated, where he’s worked for the past two years.
I’ve frequently read his tweets and articles in Sports Illustrated and he certainly has reported on all major international and club football news for the last several years.
The outgoing Ian Cotton is leaving the club after serving for more than 16 years. No specific reasons were given for his departure, but he was heavily criticized for his handling of the Luis Suarez situation. At this time of writing, it also looks like another staff member of the Communications Department has left, with PR Manager Craig Evans leaving on May 22nd. According to PRWeek, Evans is “leaving to launch his own agency called Good Evans and will continue to work for Liverpool as a consultant.” It should be noted that I was unable to find a CV for either Cotton or Evans.
While many might question Jen’s appointment to his new job, this isn’t the first time that FSG has ventured out of the norm in appointing executives. Theo Epstein was only 28-years old when he became the youngest Major League Baseball General Manager. Two years later, the Red Sox broke its 86-year Championship drought when they won the World Series. Theo’s qualifications at the time included early work in the PR Department of the San Diego Padres leading to becoming the teams’ Director of Baseball Operations.
What does seem to be changing at LFC is the idea of promoting from within. Instead, FSG appears to be casting a wide net to find bright (if yet untested) new talent. Is that the Liverpool way? Does it matter? If PR disasters are a concern, it seems like a shrewd move to appoint a journalist to the role of Director of Communications. So welcome (maybe), Jen Chang!
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