Wrexham appoint Shaun Harvey as acting CEO after Michael Williamson leaves

Wrexham AFC have appointed former English Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey as acting chief executive following the abrupt departure of Michael Williamson, cityam.com reported on November 6, 2026.

Co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the leadership change after Williamson left his post. Williamson joined Wrexham in the summer of 2024 after holding senior roles at Inter Milan and in Major League Soccer. He earned recognition as Football Industry Leader of the Year in 2025.

The club achieved historic success under Williamson, climbing from League 1 to the Championship. Yet that rapid ascent has slowed. Wrexham narrowly missed the play-offs last season and currently sits 16th in the Championship table after a mixed start to the current campaign.

Reynolds and Mac addressed the transition in a joint statement. They thanked Williamson for his two years of work taking the club up the English football pyramid.

“Shaun Harvey has been an integral part of this journey from the beginning, and we know Shaun will give every support to Phil Parkinson and the lads on the pitch while keeping the broader Wrexham community roaring us on,” the owners stated.

Shaun Harvey Steps Back into Executive Role

Harvey, 56, brings deep administrative experience to the acting CEO position. He worked with the Hollywood owners from their initial takeover of then-non-league Wrexham in 2021, starting as an advisor before joining as a director in 2023. Previously, he served as chief executive of the English Football League for six years until 2019, following executive spells at Leeds United and Bradford City.

While Williamson played a central commercial role during the club’s meteoric rise chronicled in the docuseries Welcome To Wrexham, he did not always win over the fan base. News of his sudden departure drew positive reactions from some supporters on social media.