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Ben Kensell (former Chief Marketing Officer) - Feb 2025 all gone pearshaped at Hibs (P6)
 
            
                
                    Henry Irving                
                
                    Posts: 85,290                
            
                        
            
                    Has some football background from working at Arsenal.  Could be a fresh, young talent coming in with new ideas so good luck to him and welcome to Charlton. 
Rumour, if you believe it or not, is that he applied for the operations job and has been offered the marketing job instead.
He initially turned down the CMO role on the basis he has no marketing experience (which seems to be confirmed by his Linkedin profile (below)
From Linkedin
Ben Kensell's Overview
Current
Commercial Operations Manager at Arsenal Football Club
Past
Events Manager at Ambro Events
Events Officer at Demontfort University
Education
De Montfort University
Archbishops School
Connections
Ben Kensell's Experience
Commercial Operations Manager
Arsenal Football Club
Nonprofit; 11-50 employees; Sports industry
September 2006 – Present (6 years 5 months)
Events Manager
Ambro Events
Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Events Services industry
May 2004 – September 2006 (2 years 5 months)
Events Officer
Demontfort University
May 2003 – February 2005 (1 year 10 months)
Ben Kensell's Skills & Expertise
Sports
Event Planning
Business Development
Revenue Streams
Catering
Venue Management
Sports Venues
Stadiums
Financial Accounting
Account Management
Project Management
Major Events
Ben Kensell's Education
De Montfort University
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Theatre/Theatre Arts Management
1999 – 2003
Archbishops School
1993 – 1999
                
                    Rumour, if you believe it or not, is that he applied for the operations job and has been offered the marketing job instead.
He initially turned down the CMO role on the basis he has no marketing experience (which seems to be confirmed by his Linkedin profile (below)
From Linkedin
Ben Kensell's Overview
Current
Commercial Operations Manager at Arsenal Football Club
Past
Events Manager at Ambro Events
Events Officer at Demontfort University
Education
De Montfort University
Archbishops School
Connections
Ben Kensell's Experience
Commercial Operations Manager
Arsenal Football Club
Nonprofit; 11-50 employees; Sports industry
September 2006 – Present (6 years 5 months)
Events Manager
Ambro Events
Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Events Services industry
May 2004 – September 2006 (2 years 5 months)
Events Officer
Demontfort University
May 2003 – February 2005 (1 year 10 months)
Ben Kensell's Skills & Expertise
Sports
Event Planning
Business Development
Revenue Streams
Catering
Venue Management
Sports Venues
Stadiums
Financial Accounting
Account Management
Project Management
Major Events
Ben Kensell's Education
De Montfort University
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Theatre/Theatre Arts Management
1999 – 2003
Archbishops School
1993 – 1999
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            Comments
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            Eh? He has no marketing experience but he's got the job of Chief Marketing Officer - is that a joke?0
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            mmm How tall is he?1
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 Appears notOff_it said:Eh? He has no marketing experience but he's got the job of Chief Marketing Officer - is that a joke? 
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            what position does he play?0
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            You'll be surprised the number of clients I have had who know ziltch about marketing.
 And that's at some global blue chip companies!
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            New staff with seemingly good potential shock. And I thought the owners were going to run us into the ground and lose their dosh.0
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            The name Arsenal seems to have gotten him a job. I suggest that there are at least 3 people in the club with a more suited skillset. Jesus, I think I have a better one.
 How old is he? 28?
 Maybe I'm just jealous. Not that I'm interested in working for the club at the moment...0
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            I wish him every success.0
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            What the feck, Arsenal described as a non-profit?!!!0
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            Maybe the mysterons are hoping he Kensell our football club to potential investors.0
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Sponsored links:
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            Kensell can sell .. let's hope that he can (:->)0
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 This.ShootersHillGuru said:I wish him every success. 
 He'll soon get found out if his lack of experience on paper is detrimental or doesn't add any value to the club but they have obviously seen something in him to offer him the job.
 Rather that than paying top whack to someone with an impressive marketing cv who could turn out to be there for the cash before jumping ship when a sexier/ better paid position came knocking.
 Chris Powell had no management experience and the boy done good.0
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 Ha ha yeah when they called up Arsenal for a reference his boss said "Oh yeah Ben can sell..." and they hung up having heard that before letting him finish the sentence.Callumcafc said:Maybe the mysterons are hoping he Kensell our football club to potential investors. 0
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            Who says theatre studies doesn't make you employable.0
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            Very true RCT.
 Football is so strange, I can't believe you'd ever get a "Chief" marketing job in any other industry with no tangible marketing skills/experience. The competition for marketing positions at the moment is so intense.0
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 The Valley is the theatre of dreams so that could be tangible.Uboat said:Who says theatre studies doesn't make you employable. 0
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            My bet is his big idea will be to put prices up. Don't understand the fuss about his lack of Marketing qualifications. Stating the bleeding obvious has always been hugely over-rated in my opinion even if it has provided a healthy living for people who can't do anything else.0
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            Lol.0
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 Had a 20 year career working with managers thoughRodneyCharltonTrotta said:
 Chris Powell had no management experience and the boy done good.ShootersHillGuru said:I wish him every success. 0
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            .0
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Sponsored links:
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 more importantly have you heard bad/indifferent things about himCHG said:Worked with my wife when she worked at Arsenal, not heard great things about him. 0
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            She had personal rather than professional issues, lets hope he steps up to the plate and turns out to be a good appointment. Chelsea fan, not that that matters.0
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            Is he on a work experience program?
 No experience, numpty degree from a numpty university. wtf.
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            We love a good grouse-up, we do. Oh yes we do.0
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 Whata load of bollocks.Cardinal Sin said:My bet is his big idea will be to put prices up. Don't understand the fuss about his lack of Marketing qualifications. Stating the bleeding obvious has always been hugely over-rated in my opinion even if it has provided a healthy living for people who can't do anything else. 
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            I'm told he can fill in at left back as when if required0
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            DeMontfort, the university that says "YES!"0
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            Can I be the first to say "Kensell out"
 Thank you0
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            Is he one of RM's nephews ?0
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            I think I can work out what is behind this apparently odd choice, but it involves a bit of discussion about what marketing actually is, so a lot of you may choose to tune out now.
 When I went into marketing it was a serious career in big consumer goods companies, led by P&G and Unilever. In my own case it was United Biscuits, God preserve their Hobnobs. Over the years the term has been much more widely adopted by all kind of two bob companies - in this case football clubs are two bob companies - but they often only have hazy idea of what marketing is. There ar various definitions, but my favorite is that of the late lamented Professor Peter Doyle of Warwick University, and it is " the matching of what customers need and want, with what the company can produce or provide, in a way which maximizes long term profit". Note that this implies listening to your customers in the first place, and note "long term". Short term profit is produced by good salespeople. They can sell a bad product, once. In football clubs you generally find that the marketing person seems to be measured by finding something crass to sponsor and getting people to pay for it, flogging exec boxes, and various events. This guy actually has experience of some of that. To his credit, he probably doesn't think of that as marketing, but he probably found that this is exactly what messrs Slater and Jiminez think it is. And I'd expect nothing else from a lawyer and a property dealer.
 As to what marketing in a football club actually is, that is tricky, but basically the more important part as I see it is the work which Airman and the others started in the 90s. Thinking about who the customers are, what they want and what stops them from buying the product. As he has demonstrated here many times Airman is able to discuss in great detail whether a particular price promotion actually delivered a profit and whether it might have contributed to people returning regularly ( profit in the long term).
 So I think this guy will sell a good box and organize some good events. And maybe his bosses will be satisfied. It's not what I call marketing, but either way, the responsibility lies with the people who hired him, as it always does in management hiring.1




















