The Ricketts family have added Cobra Beer founder Lord Karan Bilimoria to their bid to buy Chelsea.
The long-time Blues fan will be appointed to the board of directors if the owners of baseball’s Chicago Cubs are successful in the race to buy out Roman Abramovich.
Lord Bilimoria founded Cobra Beer in a flat in Fulham in 1989, is the founding chairman of the UK India Business Council and is also chair of Change the Race Ratio, which is committed to increasing and championing ethnic minority diversity across businesses in the UK.
In 2006, he was appointed Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea as an independent crossbench peer. Bilimoria was also appointed as chancellor of the University of Birmingham in 2014.
Lord Bilimoria said: “I founded Cobra Beer just down the road from Stamford Bridge and have been a season ticket holder for many years. So, when Tom Ricketts approached me to discuss a leading role in his bid group, there was no way I could refuse.
“Tom and the wider group have a proven track record of running successful sports teams and a strong vision for both the club and the local community.”
Tom Ricketts added: “We have always been clear that having local expertise and perspectives on our bid is vital. Given Lord Bilimoria’s unparalleled credentials and his love for Chelsea, he is the perfect addition to our team.”
