Latest news with #ChrisHeck
Global News
10 hours ago
- Business
- Global News
Nova Scotia Power CEO, staff grilled by politicians over cybersecurity breach
Provincial politicians took aim at Nova Scotia Power during a legislative committee meeting Wednesday morning, saying the utility owes ratepayers answers after a cybersecurity breach gave thieves access to data belonging to 280,000 customers. The utility's CEO and other staff were grilled by the public accounts committee about how the breach happened and what the company will do to protect its customers from financial harm. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg says the ransomware attack affected almost half of the utility's customers, including 140,000 customers who had given the utility their social insurance numbers. Chris Heck, chief digital officer with Nova Scotia Power's parent company Emera, told the committee that the company identified unusual activity on their server on April 25, but later determined the cyber-thieves had accessed the system as early as March 19. NDP Leader Claudia Chender pressed the two men to explain why Nova Scotia Power had been storing the social insurance numbers, but they declined to say, citing an ongoing investigation. Story continues below advertisement Meanwhile, the federal privacy commissioner has launched an investigation into the ransomware attack, with Philippe Dufresne saying in a statement last week he started the probe after receiving complaints about the security breach reported in late April.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Villa unveil new away kit inspired by 'modern spirit of Birmingham'
Aston Villa have unveiled the club's new 2025-26 away kit, featuring a design on the shoulder inspired by the Bullring in are opening a a new club store in the Bullring shopping area on Thursday where the new kit - also featuring a 'Villans' sign-off on the back neck and a heat-applied club badge on the chest - will be president of business Chris Heck said: "We wanted this to be a representation of our iconic home city, where a lot of our fans away-day journeys start and end."Kit makers Adidas said: "With Aston Villa's away kit, we wanted to create something that goes beyond performance – a jersey that captures the bold, modern spirit of Birmingham. The Bullring's architecture served as the perfect inspiration to tell the story of innovation and pride that run through the city and its football club."Unai Emery's side will wear the kit for the first time in Sunday's final Premier League match against Manchester United at Old do you think? Choose how you feel below.
Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Aston Villa chief who spearheaded rise to Champions League leaves for LIV Golf
The Aston Villa president of business operations, Chris Heck, is to leave at the end of the season to take on the same role at LIV Golf, Telegraph Sport understands. The US executive will depart after two years in the job in which he was tasked by owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens with raising the club's revenue to £400 million by 2027 from a base of around £218 million last year. The expectation is that the club will announce annual revenue for the current financial year ending June of about £375 million. Villa 's revenue has been boosted by Champions League qualification but includes major gains in other income streams. Those results will be announced next year, by which time Heck's successor will be in place. Heck, 56, has been the de facto chief executive of the business side of the club and will now build the same corporate infrastructure at LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed PGA Tour breakaway. Under Heck, there has been major change at Villa Park with plans for a new North Stand announced this month, following a complete upgrade of hospitality last summer for Villa's return to European football's top competition for the first time since 1982-83. There was a supporter outcry at the raising of ticket prices for the four Champions League home games in the league stage for which Heck took much of the fire. Nevertheless, the rebuild of the North Stand is a major step forward that has been high on the supporters' list of priorities for some time – the current stand being a rather meagre effort to fill that part of the ground. The new design will use the current North Stand structure and eventually raise its capacity by 5,000 to more than 12,000 without any disruption to the use of the stand in the meantime. The changes are in addition to the new venue in the north car park, The Warehouse, a 4,000-capacity entertainment venue. Aston Villa's ambition under billionaire owner Sawiris knows no limits and to get there quickly under the Premier League profit and sustainability rules [PSR], the club needed to make major gains in its revenue. That was where Heck came in, formerly of the NBA franchise, the Philadelphia 76ers. For any executive it is a hard path to walk. Villa were newcomers to the modern format of the Champions League and as such a long way behind the big hitters of the English game and those in Europe. In the 2025 Deloitte world money league, an industry benchmark, Villa were a long way from the top, ranked 18th – still behind the big three in Serie A, as well as Newcastle United and West Ham. Under Deloitte's calculation for equivalent annual revenue, Villa were on €310 million. Bayern Munich, the club they beat in the 1982 European Cup final, who have missed just five Champions League seasons since the new format began in 1993, are on €765 million. Even they are some way behind the leaders Real Madrid who allegedly generate more than €1 billion annually. The club believe they may be four or five places further up when the next Deloitte analysis is completed. Heck's challenge was to raise revenue to £400 million in four years. Along the way he had to make some hard calls. Villa Park had gone a long time without major investment, its premium hospitality offering was a long way off the modern Champions League standard and that had to be addressed swiftly when Unai Emery's side finished fourth last season. The club's commercial operation had to respond accordingly. The other margin was in ticket prices. While Villa could not shift PSR loss-limits, they could raise ticket prices. Those kinds of decisions will never be popular, nor will the people who make them – as Sir Jim Ratcliffe is discovering at Manchester United with their current round of ticket price rises and supporter relocations. There seems to be a determination at Villa that they will be one of the new generation of clubs who establish themselves as Champions League regulars – although given the competitiveness of the Premier League that may not be every season. Heck launched Villa on that mission, and every step of the way and incremental rise in revenue for his successors will be just as hard.
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Aston Villa president of business operations Chris Heck to leave the club at end of season
Aston Villa's president of business operations, Chris Heck, will leave the club at the end of the season. Heck, who joined in May 2023, has led Villa's off-field operations and has overseen record revenue, coinciding with Villa's qualification for the Champions League. He has led Villa's concerted efforts to improve revenue and commerical income, leading several different departments. Heck previously worked at NBA side Philadelphia 76ers for nine years as president before holding posts at New York Red Bulls, where he worked president of business operations. Advertisement Heck has come under intense scrutiny since joining Villa, owing to expensive ticketing pricing and other stadium issues, including selling season tickets to supporters that did not exist. The American is set to leave at the end of the season with a replacement to follow. (Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)
Hans India
24-04-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Aston Villa announce ground expansion to over 50,000 capacity
Birmingham: Aston Villa Football Club on Thursday announced plans to refurbish and expand seat capacity at Villa Park's iconic North Stand. "As the latest instalment of the North Ground regeneration plans, the North Stand expansion emphasises Villa's commitment to levelling up the fan experience whilst becoming a world-class sports and entertainment venue. The redevelopment will increase the number of seats available in the North Stand to over 12,000," the Premier League club said in a statement. "Combined with ongoing upgrades to Villa Park's other three stands, total capacity at Villa Park will increase to over 50,000. The stadium renovation will be completed in H2 (second half) 2027, ahead of the UEFA EURO 2028 Tournament that Villa Park will be a host venue for," it added. Championing a sustainable approach, Aston Villa FC will adapt and reuse the existing North Stand structure for the expansion. This innovative approach ensures that the capacity for Villa Park will not decrease at any time during construction, mitigating disruption to fans throughout the process. These changes, alongside other improvements to the North Grounds, are designed to deliver the best matchday experience for Aston Villa's fans and create a thriving community hub. "Aston Villa fans have been electrifying Villa Park for generations, charging the atmosphere with unrivalled intensity at every home match for more than 125 years," Chris Heck, Villa's president of business operations, said. "Thanks to the hard work and collaboration of an exceptional team, we will now be able to offer this incredible experience to thousands more, all while meeting the key challenge of executing this project without compromising matchday capacity during the process." Aston Villa's ambition continues to grow, with plans now confirmed to expand Villa Park's capacity to over 50,000 — a clear sign of the club's upward trajectory under manager Unai Emery. Previous proposals to demolish the North Stand were shelved, as the work would have temporarily reduced capacity to around 36,000. However, with Villa Park selected as a host venue for the Euro 2028 tournament - set to take place across the United Kingdom and Ireland - the club is now pushing forward with its stadium redevelopment plans. This move reflects the resurgence of Aston Villa under the ownership of executive chairman Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens. Emery, supported by football operations president Monchi, has revitalised the team, guiding them to a Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, where they narrowly lost 5-4 on aggregate. The owners have continued to back Emery in the transfer market. The January window saw major moves, including the permanent signing of Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund and loan deals for Marcus Rashford from Manchester United and Marco Asensio from PSG - further highlighting the club's intent to compete at the highest level. As the club builds on last season's success, which saw them break through the Premier League's "glass ceiling" to secure Champions League qualification ahead of schedule, they remain in strong contention to qualify again this year. They also have an FA Cup semi-final clash against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday, as their remarkable journey continues both on and off the pitch.
