FOUR-TIME premiership great Chris Langford will help Hawthorn choose its next chief executive officer, following the resignation of Justin Reeves last month.
Reeves stepped down after five years in the role at the end of May due to the mental and physical toll of the investigation into allegations of historical racism of First Nations players at the club.
The Hawks are currently in the process of engaging an external agency to help the club find its fifth CEO since 2005 after the long tenures of Ian Robson and Stuart Fox, before Tracy Gaudry's short stint ahead of Reeves' arrival.
Langford spent 16 years on the AFL commission after playing 303 games for the Hawks where he captained the club, earned All-Australian selection twice and is in the Australian Football Hall of Fame and Hawthorn team of the century.
The 60-year-old has enjoyed a successful career in business after hanging up the boots and is currently the managing director of Australian property investment firm Newmark Capital.
Hawthorn president Andy Gowers is on the committee with vice-president Katie Hudson, executive GM of people, culture and community Sally McNeilly, while current board director and REA Group CEO Owen Wilson the chair.
The club won't rush to find the next CEO but are hopeful of making an appointment before the end of the 2023 season.
Current chief commercial officer Ash Klein is the acting CEO and understood to have led a seamless transition for those inside Waverley Park.
Klein is an internal candidate that could be considered if he chooses to put his hand up. Head of football Rob McCartney is another, along with GM of operations and strategic projects Josh Vanderloo, who joined the club in 2021 after more than a decade at the AFL.
While the formal process is yet to commence, there are some names that could find themselves on the short list in the coming weeks and months.
Western Bulldogs chief operating officer Sue Clark is highly regarded in executive circles and was the chief finance officer at Geelong before arriving at the Whitten Oval. Clark has been a senior mentor for many in the industry, was part of the Gen W program in the AFL and would leave the Dogs with the blessing of the club if successful.
AFL chief financial officer and GM of broadcasting and clubs Travis Auld has been linked to replace Andrew Westacott as CEO of the Australian Grand Prix and might be interested in a return to club land after previously being the inaugural CEO of Gold Coast after working as the chief operating officer at Essendon.
Geelong head of football Simon Lloyd narrowly missed out on the CEO gig at North Melbourne to Jen Watt and could return to where his AFL journey started. Lloyd joined the Hawks as a sports psychologist under Peter Schwab before moving to Collingwood and Fremantle before arriving at GMHBA Stadium.
Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo and St Kilda boss Simon Lethlean became the latest football managers to make the transition to the other end of the building last year, could Lloyd be the next?
Former Fremantle CEO Steve Rosich is another potential option for the Hawks, given he spent 11 years at the helm of the Dockers before becoming the CEO of Victoria Racing Club in 2020.
Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans is settled in Queensland but spent a decade as Hawthorn's football boss before becoming GM of football operations at the AFL.
Hawthorn is halfway through Sam Mitchell's second season as senior coach and settled in other leadership positions with McCartney and list manager Mark McKenzie long-term members of the football department.
