Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves has announced his resignation from the club, effective immediately.
Reeves was appointed as CEO at the Hawks in 2017, with the club confirming on Wednesday that he was stepping away from the role to focus on his personal wellbeing.
Reeves' resignation comes amid the ongoing investigation of claims of racism at the Hawks, and follows Alastair Clarkson's decision to step away from North Melbourne due to personal reasons last week.
Club president Andy Gowers thanked Reeves for his time in the role while confirming that Ash Klein would serve as acting CEO.
“Justin is a highly respected sporting executive, which is a reputation built from delivering great results and running sound operations for more than 15 years in AFL football,” Gowers said.
“On behalf of the Board, I thank Justin for his unwavering commitment to the Hawks over nearly six years, during which there has been some challenging periods that required astute leadership.
“Hawthorn has initiated a search for a new CEO and we look forward to working with Acting CEO Ash Klein in the meantime.”
Reeves said he was grateful for his time at the club, but said this was the right time for "new leadership" at Hawthorn.
“I've worked hard with my team to establish strong foundations for the club to work through some important cultural, strategic and operational matters and, with that work done, I'm confident the club can emerge stronger than ever,” Reeves said.
“I believe now is the right time to hand over to new leadership. I'm confident my departure will allow the Board to identify a new CEO to lead our incredibly talented executive team, to ensure future club sustainability and success and support club coaches Sam Mitchell and Bec Goddard.
“I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead Hawthorn and thank the club's ever so talented employees, loyal members and committed commercial partners.”
