Who are Levin and Treuer? – Sunderland's new directors
Sunderland have appointed two new directors to their board following Kyril LouisDreyfus’ takeover – but what do we know about Igor Levin and Patrick Treuer?
The pair are both close associates of the Louis-Dryefus family and will take places on theSunderlandboardfollowing the takeover of the club.
Stewart Donald and Juan Sartori have resigned as directors, but retain minority shares in the Black Cats along with fellow former director Charlie Methven.
The behind the scenes changes are further evidence that it’s now Louis-Dreyfus calling the shots – but what do we know about the duo?
WhoisIgorLevin?:Levin, who is based in New York but ofRussianorigin,istheLouisDreyfus family lawyer.
He was hands-on alongside the family as they ran Marseille, with reports in France suggesting he played a key role in player and managerial negotiations – including the dismissal of Marcelo Bielsa,amongothers.Levinis known to be heavily trusted byKyrilLouis-Dreyfus’mother,Margarita,andhasattimes actedasapublic-facingrepresentative of the family.
Who is Patrick Treuer?: Another man with close links to the Louis-Dreyfus family, the Financial Times described Treuer as a ‘close confidant’ of Margarita when hewasappointedastheLouisDreyfus Group’s chief financial officer and chief strategy officer in December 2019.
Treuer is a former investment banker with Credit Suisse and has also worked as chief strategy officer at Biosev – a sister company to the Louis-DreyfusGroup–andhe holds a business degree from the University of St Gallen.