NORTH Melbourne chief executive Ben Amarfio has resigned after three years in the post.
Amarfio informed the Kangaroos board of his decision on Friday morning, and is currently farewelling club staff.
His departure comes two weeks after North Melbourne announced Alastair Clarkson as coach and is the latest change to key administration staff, with David Noble sacked as coach while football department boss Dan McPherson and three members of the recruiting team also recently exited.
Roos president Dr Sonja Hood said Amarfio was leaving North in its "strongest financial position in its 153-year history".
"Ben is one of the most talented and hard-working executives I know and his genuine care for his executive team and staff is something I have witnessed first-hand," Hood said.
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"… We have zero historical debt, we've broken membership records in each of Ben's three years, we're about to complete the $8 million stage two extension of our Arden St facility, we've just re-signed Mazda as our major partner and we are set to play a major role in the State Government's plans for the Arden Precinct.
"Ben's greatest and most long-lasting legacy will be the Arden Precinct vision he led and fought for so strongly from the moment he walked through the doors. Present and future North Melbourne players, officials, members and supporters will enjoy the fruits of that work for generations to come and it has paved the way for the club to be embedded in North Melbourne for the next 150 years.
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" ... On a personal note, Ben has provided exceptional support and counsel to me, and I have loved working with him."
Amarfio will stay with the club while it seeks his replacement.
Hood had been consulting with former Essendon and Melbourne CEO Peter Jackson in the past three months, but she has ruled him out of that position at North.
Clarkson, who regularly clashed with CEOs when coaching Hawthorn, will have significant input in the selection process.
"When I joined North Melbourne I was struck by the privilege of meeting and building relationships with wonderful North people and partners and the exciting prospect of assisting in the turnaround of our proud club’s on and off field situation," Amarfio said.
"Off-field we are debt-free, enjoy profits each year, will finish this year with forecasted cash reserves of around $3 million and we will have surpassed a membership tally of 50K, something seen as almost impossible three years ago when we had only 38,000 members.
"We have engaged with thousands of young people through The Huddle and we have wonderful sponsor partnerships in MAZDA, Spirit of Tasmania, AIA, PUMA and many others.
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"On-field, we have undergone a major re-build and bold list turnover. Turning around our AFL program has been extremely challenging. Year two of our rebuild has proven harder than we envisaged and we weren't as competitive as we had expected. As CEO, ultimately that responsibility lays with me and I'm sorry that we let down our members and supporters and fell short of expectations this year.
" … I will leave satisfied that a very solid foundation has been laid and the club is in a wonderful position to grow from an off- and on-field perspective for our men's and women's programs."