St Kilda Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Carl Dilena as Chief Executive Officer.

This formalises the position for Dilena, who has been in the role in an acting capacity since January.

“We are delighted to appoint Carl to the role of Chief Executive Officer of St Kilda Football Club,” Club President Andrew Bassat said.

“Carl is a highly credentialed and respected member of our club, and we could not be more confident with him stepping into the role permanently.”

Bassat said that through a thorough process, conducted by external consultants Maritana Partners, Dilena’s ability shone through.

“We knew from the outset that Carl would be a very strong candidate, and this was only reaffirmed further through hearing his submissions and thoughts on the future of the club.

“I know I speak for our entire Board in congratulating Carl, his wife Simone and daughters Isabel and Sophie on this appointment, and I look forward to working closely with Carl for years to come.”

Dilena said he was energised to tackle the role on a permanent basis.

“I am very excited to continue in the role of CEO at the Saints,” Dilena said.

“I’ve had the privilege of working at St Kilda for a year and a half now and have done my best to immerse myself in the club culture and history.

“St Kilda is a proud foundation club, with clear goals and a very loyal and deserving supporter base.

“I look forward to playing my role in helping the club take strides towards achieving its goals and rewarding the passion and investment of our members and fans."

Originally hailing from Adelaide, Dilena brings more than 30 years of professional experience to the role, with a career history spanning across football, corporate and organisational leadership, finance, strategy and major projects.

In addition to 12 years as a Senior Partner at KPMG, Carl served 12 years as a Board Member of the North Melbourne Football Club, including seven years as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Dilena played 33 VFL games between 1989 and 1992 at Fitzroy and North Melbourne Football Clubs and first joined St Kilda as Chief Operating Officer in October 2022.