Portsmouth’s owner has been The Tornante Company LLC since 2017 when Michael Eisner’s company took full control from the Portsmouth Supporters Trust (PST).
PST voted in favour of Tornante bidding for the club and the deal was completed in time for the start of the 2017/18 season in EFL League One. It is said that 1,825 PST shareholders approved the takeover out of 2,272 voters.
Eisner’s Tornante took 100% control of Portsmouth for a total of £5.67m and has now been chairman of Pompey for more than seven years.
When did Michael Eisner become Portsmouth owner?
Portsmouth’s owner Michael Eisner is the former chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company which he oversaw between 1984 and 2005.
In early 2017, Eisner took an interest in completing a takeover of Portsmouth Football Club who were wholly fan-owned at the time by the PST.
PST agreed to sell 48.5% of their shareholding in the club to Eisner in May 2017 and the deal was completed in the August three months later, adding a new chapter to Portsmouth’s club history.
The Tornante Company is also owned by members of Eisner’s family. His sons Anders, Breck and Eric are on the Portsmouth Board of Directors.
What have Portsmouth won since Michael Eisner’s takeover?
Just months before Michael Eisner’s The Tornante Company took control of Portsmouth, the club won the EFL League Two title and thus promotion to the third tier of English football.
Since Eisner’s takeover, Pompey have added one honour to their trophy cabinet. The Fratton Park side won the EFL Trophy for the first time in their history in 2019. The club, managed by Kenny Jackett at the time, beat Sunderland on penalties at Wembley Stadium after a dramatic 2-2 draw.
Portsmouth reached the final of the competition again the following campaign but lost to Salford City. In terms of league business, Eisner has oversaw two EFL League One play-off semi-final defeats in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
However, the club are very much on track to get out of the third tier and reach the EFL Championship in time for the 2024/25 season.
What other businesses does Michael Eisner own?
Portsmouth’s owner Michael Eisner made most of his fortune as chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company over the course of more than 20 years.
His investment firm The Tornante Company does not own any other sports franchises or clubs but does control a number of brands investment holdings.
These include Omaze, a fundraising platform; Rad, a global streaming platform; Creatively, a platform which helps showcase creative professionals’ portfolios; TaskRabbit, a freelance labour marketplace; Vuguru, a production company. According to Forbes, Eisner also invested in Netflix early into its existence.
Michael Eisner net worth
Forbes state that as of March 5, 2008, Michael Eisner’s net worth was $1.1 billion. Of course, his net worth since then may have fluctuated positively or negatively.