Town have announced additions to the boards of both the club and Gamechanger 20 Ltd, new investors into Bright Path Sports Partners, and former skipper and current club ambassador Matt Holland.
US-based investment fund Bright Path, whose investment in the club was announced in March, now own around 44 per cent of the club following new fundraising.
The co-founder, CEO and chairman of Avenue Capital, a partner in Bright Path, Marc Lasry, is joining the board of Ipswich Town Football Club.
Moroccan-born billionaire Lasry brings experience in both business and sport, having been a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA franchise, who were winners of the NBA Championship in 2021.
Travis Viola is joining the board of Gamechanger 20 Ltd. Travis’s father Vincent Viola is the owner of the Florida Panthers NHL franchise, the current holders of the Stanley Cup. The Viola family own and control the global trading platform Virtu Financial.
Blues legend Holland is joining the boards of both Gamechanger 20 Ltd and Ipswich Town Football Club. The 50-year-old former Republic of Ireland international is the first ex-player to have become a Town director.
Town chairman and CEO Mark Ashton told the club site: "The investment from Bright Path Sports has been a significant one at an exciting time for the Club as we enter the Premier League.
"We are delighted to welcome both Marc Lasry and Travis Viola. Both bring invaluable experience as well as an outstanding track record in sport, having each won a major championship in the United States in recent years, and will be hugely valuable assets to the club.
"Matt Holland is, of course, an Ipswich Town legend and is an excellent addition to the Board, bringing a unique perspective and deep understanding of the Club’s values and goals.”
Lasry added: "The club has demonstrated remarkable focus and energy in its successive promotions and we welcome the opportunity to support chairman Mark Ashton and the rest of the staff as Ipswich Town begins life back in the Premier League.”
We understand the further investment has taken the overall Bright Path investment in the club to £120 million from the £105 million announced in March.
Viola and Holland join Ed Schwartz, the CEO of ORG, the US investment firm which manages funds on behalf of the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS), the club’s majority owner, Brett Johnson, one of the Three Lions, CEO and chairman Ashton, Bright Path investors Sam Simon and Jake Zahnow, and finance director Tom Ball on the Gamechanger 20 Ltd board.
Lasry and Holland will serve as Town directors along side Schwartz, Ashton, Ball, another of the Three Lions Berke Bakay and chief operating officer Luke Werhun.