Daniel Gidney, joined the Ricoh Arena as chief executive in October 2006. Daniel has led the business post mobilisation, enjoying significant growth taking it from a multi million ebitda loss to just under £3 million ebitda.
 
Prioritising the customer journey and developing multiple revenue streams from varying markets has been the focus. Leading on innovation and technology, highlighted by becoming the first UK cashless stadia in August 2008.
 
Prior to this, he ran Sodexho’s Hospitals Division. During this four-year period, Daniel took the division from over £3 million losses to over £3 million profit. A key element of the transformation was a shift in emphasis in the corporate strategy and a focus on retail and treating patients as customers.
 
Daniel is an expert on third-party income generation in PFI contracts and has developed this experience in the leisure and health sectors.
 
Prior to joining Sodexho, Daniel spent nearly seven years at Clear Channel (now Live Nation) in varying roles, including head of PFI and director of Ticketing where, through rationalisation, he saved £500,000 pa and later sold the division to Ticketmaster for £7 million.
 
Immediately prior to joining Clear Channel, Daniel raised £2 million of senior debt and £700k venture capital funding for a management buyout of Hollywood Bowls Ltd in Scotland, eventually losing out to a trade sale. Daniel had previously managed the operation and taken the business from break-even to £350k profit in 18 months.
 
Daniel has an MBA from Durham and is a former district councillor for Stratford upon Avon, where at 25 he was the youngest ever to be elected.
 
In addition to his role as CEO of the Ricoh Arena, Daniel is a Non-Executive Director of CVOne Ltd (Coventry’s city centre management and destination marketing company); a governor of Foxford College, an Advisory Board member at Coventry University and also the Chairman of the Learning and Skills Council’s local employers Board for Coventry and Warwickshire.