Steve is a smart, well connected commercial thinker. He has consistently delivered valuable sponsorship opportunities and he's great at bringing the right expertise to bear on any commercial challenge.
Patrick Donovan - Interact 20/20 Sports Sponsorship
I have known and worked with Steve Sutherland since I joined CAFC over 17 years ago, where I first began delivering football courses and with the help of the Club and particularly Steve, gradually became involved in delivering a wide variety of programmes by using the power of football to attract people and deliver important key messages. Charlton Athletic Community Trust has now become one of the biggest, most highly regarded community programmes in the country that Steve has always supported and I greatly value his input and expertise.
Since the launch of our Street Violence initiative at a live match featured on Sky in August 2008, Steve has chaired the steering committee alongside Sally and Colin Knox, who tragically lost their son Rob in a fatal stabbing in Sidcup, together with various partners from the Police, Local Authorities, government departments etc. Steve cares passionately about all our programmes and in particular this campaign and has worked tirelessly with us in order to make a difference.
Steve was hugely instrumental in securing the Llanera deal for the Club and ensured that community programmes benefited from it too. He supports and advises on the Women's' and Girls' development section from grassroots to the first team and is Chairman of their committee. The Trustees, staff and I all highly value Steve’s commitment and hard work that has helped make the Trust what it is today and will continue to grow.
Jason Morgan - CEO, Charlton Athletic Community Trust Corporate Social Responsibility
It has been a pleasure to work with Steve Sutherland for the past eight years. In his position as Commercial Director of Charlton Athletic Football Club, he has arranged many visits for our students to the ‘Valley.’ He has always been most accommodating and helpful in working with our program and students to give them an excellent overview of managing professional athletics and football programs.
The University of Southern Mississippi has been sponsoring a ‘British Studies Program’ based in London for over 30 years. Approximately 200 students and faculty spend a month each summer studying various subjects, from the unique British and European perspective. As coordinator of the Business Studies program I have always attempted to have a mix of lectures with visits to businesses and organizations for our students. Since 2001 we have been visiting the Charlton Athletic Football Club under the sponsorship of Steve Sutherland.
The visit to the CAFC is always one of the highlights of our program because of the quality of the presentations led by Mr. Sutherland. For the past eight years we could always count on learning about management, marketing and community activities from the team of managers he assembled to make a presentation to our group. Even though I know it was not part of his real day to day activities, I was always impressed that Steve took personal time to lead the discussions and to answer questions posed by our students.
A couple of years ago, I asked Mr. Sutherland if he would allow our students to develop projects/case studies based on the CAFC. He graciously agreed to allow teams of students to go over to Charlton, interview managers, and in some cases re-interview them multiple times. He always said that he really thought that reaching out to students, even international students, was part of his job as a manager. He really embraced the idea that CAFC was ‘More than just a football club.’ The students and I are all deeply appreciative of the assistance and information Mr. Sutherland provided.
Whoever is lucky enough to have Steve Sutherland work with them will indeed be fortunate. He is a natural leader, excellent manager, and real team player. His organizational and presentation skills are outstanding, and he truly is a problem solver, a great quality in a leader. We really hope that Steve will continue to be involved in our British Studies Programs for many more years.
David L. Duhon, Ph.D. - Professor of Management and Business Studies Coordinator; Kaetsu Distinguished Professor of International Business; Chair, Department of Management and International Business; College of Business, University of Southern Mississippi Corporate Social Responsibility
Steve has an unparalleled knowledge of all commercial aspects of football and thinks creatively about win-win partnerships. He has been a tremendous ambassador for Charlton Athletic, helping create sponsorships such as the record Llanera deal and then JD Sports in the Championship.
I enjoyed the trip to China with Steve, laying the foundation for the subsequent signing of the China captain Zheng Zhi. At the Valley he has always been very welcoming to visitors, be it dignitaries or groups of children, summarising the strengths of the club succinctly and appropriately for those all-important first impressions.
Gideon Franklin - Director, Charlton Athletic Football Club Sports Sponsorship
I have known Steve for over 20 years. He has always shown himself to be knowledgeable about the football industry and passionate about what he does.
A popular man, Steve has always had time to interact with supporters and also discuss business issues. In a high pressure role he has been willing to take the time to share his expertise and provide advice where needed.
I have no doubt that his experience, expertise and personality will make him a tremendous asset to any future employer or client.
Andy Lopata - Managing Director, Andy Lopata - Business Networking Strategy Business Development
Steve is without doubt one of the best commercial bods in football that I have ever come across. He has an exhaustive knowledge of the industry and he delivers real value deals. On top of that he's a thouroughly decent bloke and I've never met anyone with a bad word to say about him.
Sports Sponsorship
Steve has a myriad of experience in all aspects of marketing. He did an exceptional job at Charlton Athletic and was largely responsible for the development and overall success of their sponsorship and partnership programmes. He is a cool, calm and collected individual who I can whole-heartedly recommend.
Greville Waterman - Director, Sportsmedia Broadcasting Ltd Sports Sponsorship
Steve has an incredible level of experience and commercial acumen. Extremely personable, he is one of those characters that can hit the ground running with any project and create change.
Ian Lockyer - Kent Branch Chairman, Chartered Institute of Marketing Business Development
Steve is professional, friendly and approachable. He is always open to new ideas and has extensive commercial sponsorship experience.
Dave Thomas - Former Sponsorship Business Development Manager, Barclays Bank Sports Sponsorship
The Football Industries MBA students regularly attended presentations at Charlton Athletic, which were organised and taken by Steve. The students always came away enthused at the passion Steve showed about the football industry, especially in the ‘social worth’ that football can provide. They found his overview of the industry insightful and thought-provoking. They also enjoyed the humour with which he discussed particular examples to support the issues he raised. Above all, the staff and students are indebted to the welcoming hospitality and support he provided the programme with.
Dr Roger Levermore - Lecturer in International Development, University of Liverpool Management School Presenting
I worked with Steve over several years and his commercial insight, sense of values and the ability to get the job done were always superb, often in challenging conditions. I trust him totally.
Keith Hatter - K2 Performance Systems Sports Sponsorship
Having worked with Steve for a number of years, including the negotiations of the £4M Llanera shirt sponsorship deal back in 2006, I would highly recommend his work.
Steve's depth of knowledge within the football industry, coupled with his warm personal style is impressive. He has been an outstanding Commercial Director for Charlton Athletic, and was extremely effective.
Bruce Bell - Former Managing Director of Blue Sun World (Llanera UK Partners) Sports Sponsorship
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