Nicola Cortese (born 7 August 1968) is a Swiss-based Italian banker, best known for his time as executive chairman of Southampton Football Club. He joined the club in August 2009 as a director of Southampton Football Club Limited before departing in January 2014. Katharina Liebherr succeeded him as executive chairman of the club.
Banking career
Cortese was educated in Switzerland and England in business communication and finance. He was involved for ten years in sports business practice as head of the sports and entertainment desk at various Swiss banks, providing global services to sports and entertainment professionals. He is currently a proposed buyer of Sunderland AFC. His most recent position was as an executive at Banque Heritage in Geneva where he managed the finances of billionaires. He had previously run the sports business desk for Credit Suisse.
Southampton Football Club
Appointment as executive chairman
In July 2009, Cortese conducted the deal to buy Southampton, then in administration, for Markus Liebherr, a German-born, Swiss-based industrialist. Following the completion of the purchase, Liebherr realised that his newly acquired business had no senior management structure, and invited Cortese to take the role of executive chairman, with the principal role of developing the long-term strategy for the football club and the business. Cortese was appointed a director of Southampton Football Club Limited on 1 August 2009.
At the time of the appointment, Liebherr commented: Nicola has been pivotal in conceiving the purchase of the Club and making it happen. I am now delighted to entrust him with overseeing the Club's progress, development and achievement of success over the long term. Nicola and I have enjoyed a long business relationship and it was Nicola who convinced me about buying the Club. He then conducted what proved to be a very difficult process very expertly and professionally. Ultimately, it happened because Nicola was at all times focused on strong business and ethical principles. Since our early conversations about the deal I made it clear that I would only buy the Club if he remained involved following the purchase. I am therefore very happy that he has accepted the role as Executive Chairman.
On accepting the appointment, Cortese said: I have been running the Club as Markus' representative since 8 July and a good start has been made in recruiting well regarded senior staff and our new First Team Manager, who have begun putting together the strategies for on and off field success. But it is only a start. We have been reviewing, and will continue to review, every aspect of the Club. We will be applying policies to our football team, commercial operations, financial structures, community work and fan communications which ensure that we run as a first-in-class football club and business.I realise that there are great expectations and I will ensure that every effort is expended to meet these expectations, but effectively we need to restructure and create a solid base from which we can build and become successful. This will take time. We will take our example from our supporters, who already are what we aim to become – Premier League. With their support we will again become a Premier League Club. The supporters, the City of Southampton and the region deserve nothing less. Everyone at the Club will be fully committed to responding to this great challenge.
Links with Italian football clubs
In January 2010, rumours were circulated that a top Italian club had approached Southampton about Cortese with a view to him joining their board of directors. Initially the mystery club was believed to be Fiorentina, because at the time that Southampton signed Senegalese striker Papa Waigo on loan in September 2009, Cortese is alleged to have commented that he had "links on the board".