HAWTHORN president Andy Gowers remains confident in the direction of the club, despite Justin Reeves resigning as CEO on Wednesday due to the mental and physical toll of the ongoing racism probe, and amid the backdrop of a 2-8 start to 2023. 

The operations at Waverley Park have been in the spotlight for much of the past eight months following the fallout from a cultural and safety review that has resulted in an investigation by the AFL into historical allegations of mistreatment of Indigenous and First Nations players at the club. 

Four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson stepped away from his role as North Melbourne coach last week due to the emotional toll of the ongoing inquiry, after publicly slamming the Hawks in the days before that decision. 

Reeves has been under intense pressure over the past 18 months due to the investigation, amid widespread change at the club that has seen Sam Mitchell replace Clarkson and Gowers replace Jeff Kennett.

"I think you saw from his statement that it is pretty clear that he is doing it tough; this situation with the First Nations investigation in particular, on top of running a very big club with a lot happening and a new era as it is on the field, takes its toll on everybody," Gowers said at Waverley Park on Thursday morning.

"This is a tough job anyway, but with those things on top, it's even tougher.

"I'm not going to pretend it's an easy period for us, but what I would remind our fans and members is we are a very strong club – our future is phenomenally bright, it really is. We are incredibly excited internally about where we are headed, what we are doing now. That includes on-field and off-field. We believe our future is incredibly bright."

Reeves tendered his resignation after six years in the post at a board meeting on Wednesday, effective immediately, with chief operating officer Ash Klein stepping up as CEO in the interim. 

Gowers, who was elected as Kennett's replacement in December, is confident the club is an attractive proposition for a quality executive, despite the cloud that is hovering above it at the present time.

"I think for the right candidate this actually represents a challenge they'd like to take on. Our future is incredibly bright. I think the on-field efforts that we've seen are incredibly exciting, we've got a young developing list there and I believe our members understand where we're headed and they are right behind that strategy," the 1991 premiership player said. 

"In terms of the off-field, yes we are dealing with an Indigenous investigation which is still ongoing, but the things we are doing off-field are incredibly exciting. For the right candidate this presents a great challenge, a great opportunity. We will run a robust process and we'll find a great leader for the Hawthorn Football Club."

Reeves joined Hawthorn in 2017 to replace Tracy Gaudry and has been involved inside AFL clubs for more than 15 years, working as Geelong's chief operating officer under Brian Cook after eight years at Collingwood. 

Gowers said Reeves won't be lost to the football club, given his son Ned is currently the No.1 ruckman at the Hawks, and he hopes the experienced administrator isn't lost to the game. 

"He has a really strong record in football. He is a great football person. He is not going to be lost to our club because his son Ned plays here and he is also a big fan of our AFLW program. I am incredibly confident that we will be seeing him at the football regularly. The relationship is not over, it just is as our CEO," he said. 

Gowers was optimistic the racism probe will be completed in the short-term and said when it is the club will aim to mend relationships with all parties involved, including Clarkson who the club hopes will attend the 10-year premiership reunion later this season. 

"The sooner it is wrapped up, the better for everyone involved. It will help in a number of ways. The sooner it happens, fairly and justly, the better. I hope it is over sooner rather than later so we can get on with our lives and get on with repairing relationships," he said. 

"Sonja Hood's comments were actually borrowed from Stan Grant: building bridges not battle lines is so apt in this situation. I look forward to building bridges with former families of our club and former coaches and staff. That's what I'm looking forward to doing."