Francesco Calvo, newly appointed President of Business Operations of Aston Villa, has said, he will do everything within his power to be “open and transparent”, adding, it is the best way to “work properly” with people.
Calvo made the statement at his first interview with the Club.
According to the Club’s official website, at the home ground of the Club, Villa Park, Calvo said:
Francesco, welcome to Aston Villa. How have you found your first few days at the club?
“Thank you very much. I’ve found everything very exciting. I arrived here a bit in advance of when I was supposed to be here because I wanted to discover the city, to discover the club and to start getting to know the people and understanding the culture of the club.”
Your football CV is very impressive. You’ve been at Juventus, Roma and Barcelona. How will your experiences help you here at Aston Villa?
“I think I’ve been lucky enough to work for different clubs and, as you said, big clubs. They are very different from one another. Juventus has an ownership which has lasted for more than a hundred years, with a big family in Italy, Barcelona doesn’t have any ownership other than its 155,000 members, and Roma had foreign owners, so I think I will try to take the best out of each club and try to adapt my knowledge to Aston Villa.”
What conversations have you had with the owners so far?
“The owners have a very clear ambition to build the club every day, to make the club sustainable and lasting for the long-term. It’s admirable how determined they are to improve the club every day. That’s what I’ve been asked to do and what I will try to do every single day.”
What sort of leader are you? How would you describe the way you lead?
“That’s an interesting question. I can tell you the way I see myself and then we will have to double-check with the staff and the fans in a year’s time. I try to be open and transparent because I think that’s key to working properly with people. It’s not going to be a one-man show with me – I’m a director of an orchestra. My ultimate responsibility is to put everybody in the best possible position to deliver. I will try to support the others and dialogue, for me, will be extremely important.”
How much are you looking forward to the new season getting underway?
“I’m really looking forward to it. It seems like yesterday that the last season was over. The new season will start very soon, and I’ve heard amazing things about the atmosphere at Villa Park. I’m really looking forward to experiencing it myself.”
Photo: Aston Villa newly appointed President of Business Operations, Francesco Calvo. Aston Villa FC
