The St. Louis Cardinals have promoted Bill DeWitt III to chief executive officer and elevated Anuk Karunaratne to president of business operations as part of a long-planned leadership succession strategy, the organization announced Wednesday.
DeWitt III, 58, had served as team president since 2008. In his new role, he will oversee both baseball and business operations. His father, 84-year-old Bill DeWitt Jr., remains chairman and principal owner and will continue to be involved in significant business and baseball matters.
Wednesday’s announcement follows Chaim Bloom's appointment to the role of president of baseball operations last September, succeeding John Mozeliak.
“Chaim and Anuk are both young, energetic leaders who have learned a lot from other organizations, but who also have a great feel for what makes the Cardinals so special,” DeWitt III said at a press conference at Busch Stadium on Wednesday. “My role will be to ensure that everyone is aligned and working together on our common goals.
“On the baseball side, we know that there’s still a lot of work ahead, and we’re committed to a plan that will lead to a sustained competitiveness, and hopefully a championship. And so far this year, we’re off to a great start,” DeWitt III added. “On the business side, we have significant opportunities ahead of us as we continue to strengthen our connection with fans, navigate changes in the media landscape and continue to push our team to be best in class at everything we do.”
Karunaratne, 43, joined the Cardinals in 2024 as senior vice president of business operations. He previously served as executive vice president of business operations with the Blue Jays from 2020-24, where he led the organization's sales, marketing, fan experience and business administration operations.
“Being a part of this community has really reinforced how special it is and how much the Cardinals mean to people here,” Karunaratne said. “You see it in the way that people talk about this team, you see it in how it shows up in everyday life and how it brings people together. It’s really a part of who people are, and there’s both a pride and an expectation that comes with that.”
A native of St. Louis, DeWitt Jr. led the purchase of the franchise from Anheuser-Busch in 1995. He was named the Cardinals’ chairman and CEO heading into the ’96 season, making him one of the longest-tenured principal owners in MLB.
Under his stewardship, St. Louis captured two World Series titles -- winning in 2006, new Busch Stadium's inaugural season, and again in '11 -- and built a reputation as one of the sport's best-run franchises.
However, the Cardinals had recently fallen off a bit, missing the postseason in each of the past three years, and they seemed set to kick off a rebuilding period after trading away several veterans during the offseason. Instead, it’s been a resurgent 2026 for the Cards, who entered Wednesday in possession of the top National League Wild Card spot with a 42-35 record.