Brian Cormack stands down as Foundation of Hearts chairman

Brian Cormack has stepped down from his dual role as Foundation of Hearts chairman and club director in order to focus on work commitments.

Brian Cormack has left his role due to work commitments. Pic: TSPL

The Edinburgh businessman was one of the founders of FOH in 2009 and succeeded Ian Murray MSP as chairman in May 2015.

Garry Halliday, a fellow founding director of Cormack’s, has been promoted to interim chairman, with Stuart Wallace, who has assisted the Foundation on financial and tax issues, the prime candidate to be elected chairman on a permanent basis in February and subsequently become a Hearts board member.

“I’m travelling abroad a lot with business at the moment and will be especially over the next year,” Cormack told the Evening News as he explained his reason for ending a seven-year labour of love with the Foundation. “It’s just got to the stage where I felt I couldn’t put the required amount of time into it and I don’t want to be a chairman or a director who’s not putting the work in.

“I spoke to the guys a few months ago and we decided the best time to go would be close to the AGM [in February]. Being part of the Foundation has been a big part of my life. It’s been a great seven years, brilliant to be part of it. I just felt it was the right time to move on.”

The Foundation has around 8000 monthly pledgers whose financial backing is deemed crucial to the club’s ongoing progress on and off the field since emerging from administration two and a half years.