MELBOURNE chief executive Peter Jackson has signed a contract extension and will remain with the club until at least the end of 2018.

The highly-respected administrator has been pivotal in Melbourne turning its fortunes around ever since he joined the club more than three years ago.

Club chairman Glen Bartlett made the announcement that Jackson would continue at the club at Melbourne’s annual general meeting at the MCG on Thursday night.

“In discussions with Peter Jackson and the board we have agreed to extend the contract of our CEO until 2018,” he said.

“Peter has done an outstanding job as CEO managing the affairs of this club and we are all really excited to be able to continue the journey we started together in 2013.

“The club is now in a really strong position and Peter has overseen a period of significant growth. Financially, we have recorded our third consecutive profit, we have a strong and talented executive team in place, we have a clear strategic agenda and the club has grown its total revenues streams by $8.1 m since Peter joined the club in 2013.

“Through his leadership including building strong relationships with the board, Peter has implemented a real sense of alignment across the entire business, which has created the stability needed to achieve these results. He has also played a significant role in helping drive our club’s overall strategy for cultural change of the club through his strong focus on people and development. This has been – and will continue to be – a driving factor in our turnaround as a club.

“As I’ve said, we have achieved a lot, but I know that our board and the executive team are focused on growing the club further and achieving our next set of strategic objectives. I want to thank Peter and his staff for their outstanding contribution and look forward to what is ahead of all of us – a very exciting period for the club.”