Summary
Join CPA Australia for an exclusive evening with Cliff Crown, Chair of Premier League club Brentford FC, as he reflects on a remarkable career in business, finance and professional sport.
Beginning his career in accountancy, Cliff built a successful professional practice before moving into industry as Chief Financial Officer of Smartodds. What followed was an unexpected journey into leadership roles at the highest levels of football governance and club management.
Today, Cliff serves as Chair of Brentford FC and President of Spanish club Merida AD. Along the way, he has served on the Board of the English Football League, represented both the EFL and Premier League on the FA Council and Professional Game Board, and contributed to the governance of the game both domestically and internationally.
Drawing on lessons from more than 50 years of professional experience, Cliff will share insights on leadership, decision-making, resilience, governance and navigating opportunities that can take a career in unexpected directions.
This session will be of particular interest to accounting and finance professionals looking to broaden their leadership impact, explore non-traditional career pathways and learn how skills developed in accounting can open doors far beyond the profession.
Learning Outcomes:
By attending this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand how finance professionals can build successful careers beyond traditional accounting pathways.
- Recognise the leadership, governance and decision-making skills required to succeed in senior executive and board roles.
- Apply lessons from career transitions and leadership experiences to support their own professional development.
Agenda
5:45 PM — Doors open, guest arrival and registration
6:00 PM — Welcome refreshments
6:30 PM — Guest Speaker: Cliff Crown
A Curious Beginning, Ground Floor
7:30 PM — Drinks, refreshments and networking
Members’ Lounge, First Floor
8.00 PM — Event concludes
Speaker
Take a look at our speaker scheduled for this event.
Cliff Crown
Chair, Brentford FC
Cliff qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1981 and joined Levy Gee, where he worked for 29 years, becoming a senior equity partner until 2001, when the firm floated on the stock market as Numerica. After building up a successful practice, primarily advising owner managed businesses in the media sector, Cliff left in 2010 to join Smartodds as Chief Financial Officer.
Cliff was appointed to the Brentford FC Board in June 2012 and became Chair a year later. Since then, he has served on the Board of the English Football League (2016-2019), was Chair of the FA Cup Committee in 2018/19 and represented the EFL on the FA Council and the Professional Game Board (PGB). Cliff also represented the FA at the 2018 World Cup.
Since Brentford's promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Cliff has represented the Premier League on the FA Council and the PGB, and is a member of a number of Premier League committees.
In addition to his work with Brentford FC, Cliff served on the Board of FC Midtjylland from 2014 until 2024 and was Chairman for the final three years of his tenure.
In April 2025, BIA, the holding company for Brentford FC acquired Merida AD and Cliff was subsequently elected President of the Spanish club.
Venue / Location