Ambitious Wrexham AFC have named former EFL boss Shaun Harvey the club’s acting CEO following the shock departure of Michael Williamson.

American Williamson has been a key figure in their meteoric rise to the Championship since joining the club – owned by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac – in 2024 but has left abruptly. 

“We thank Michael Williamson for his two years at Wrexham and for his work taking the club from League 1 to the Championship,” said Reynolds and Mac.

“Since our takeover five years ago, Wrexham have had historic success on the pitch and won hearts all over the globe. We remain focused on our most important task: to make the Wrexham community proud.

“Shaun Harvey has been an integral part of this journey from the beginning, and we know Shaun will give every support to Phil Parkinson and the lads on the pitch while keeping the broader Wrexham community roaring us on.”

Williamson held senior roles at Inter Milan and in Major League Soccer before joining Wrexham in the summer of 2024 and was named Football Industry Leader of the Year in 2025.

He did not always prove a popular figure with Wrexham fans, however, with news of his sudden exit being welcomed by some on social media. 

How Wrexham’s rise has stalled

No-nonsense Harvey, 56, has worked with Reynolds and Mac since their takeover of then-non-league Wrexham in 2021, first as an advisor and then joining as a director in 2023. 

An experienced football administrator, he was chief executive of the English Football League for six years until 2019, following spells at Leeds United and Bradford City. 

The club’s dizzying ascent, chronicled in the docuseries Welcome To Wrexham, has stalled after three successive promotions carried them from the fifth tier to the second in 2025.

They narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season but have made a mixed start to the new campaign and currently sit 16th in the Championship.