Aston Villa are reportedly targeting a move for former Philadelphia 76ers president Chris Heck. Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are looking to reshape the club's senior hierarchy , with more changes likely ahead of the summer.
Barcelona director of
Football Mateu Alemany is also on his way to Villa Park. It is unknown what impact the two appointments could have on existing positions within the club as this stage. The Athletic states that Heck is "expected" to join Villa, almost a year after leaving his previous post. READ MORE: Jhon Duran breaks silence after Aston Villa decision to block
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Champions League moment With that in mind, BirminghamLive takes a look at Heck's background... Heck worked as chief sales and marketing officer at the Sixers for four years, before becoming president and overseeing all day-to-day business operations. He spent nine years with the NBA
basketball team before resigning last year. The
American graduated from Villanova University and worked at the NBA league office as senior vice president of marketing partnerships for seven years. Heck also has previous experience working within football, spending two years as president of business operations at MLS side
New York Red Bulls. His experience in football also meant he worked under co-managing partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, the investors of Crystal Palace. Alongside his
Job for the Sixers, he spent a year with city's NHL franchise, the Philadelphia Flyers, while also holding a senior role with the NFL's
Philadelphia Eagles. Heck also held a prominent role with the Miami Heat. Speaking about his decision to resign from the Sixers, he said : "It was just the right time. The world of sports is changing, too. I’m excited about [it]. I don’t have another job, but I will start looking at the middle of the summer, if not the end of summer. So I’m really interested in being a part of something to do this thing all over again." The American was successful in his role, with the Sixers' selling out every game at Wells Fargo Centre over the five seasons. As a result, their sponsorship grew 30% from year to year. He also improved the matchday experience for fans, and came up with the team's ceremonial bell ringing right before tip-off at home games. This has continued after his departure, along with the post-game victory song. The Sixers saw an operating income of $87million in 2022 - representing a 29% annual increase. As a result, they are ranked tenth out of 30 franchises in the latest Forbes valuation of the league teams. READ NEXT: Ryan Mason handed major injury boost ahead of Aston Villa vs
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