Lesley Callaghan
BA Business Studies 1994
Lesley was the first female board member at the Sunderland AFC and also the longest serving as Marketing and Commercial Director, a varied and demanding role. She joined the club in 1992 -as a result of a placement that she undertook as part of her degree- where she spent 19 years before setting her own company in 2011, Callaghan Marketing.
Lesley saw substantial changes both at Sunderland AFC, and in the industry as a whole. Her time, first at Roker Park then at the Stadium of Light, saw the creation of the Premier League and a boom in revenue from broadcasting rights, along with the subsequent surge in high-profile foreign players and astronomical salaries.
Lesley is also Member of the Advisory Board at DMW Hexagon, an Investment Banking and Consulting Services for the Digital Media Industry, and a Non-Executive Director at Dance City, the National Dance Agency for the North East of England that offers training and performances for the public and professionals.