Michael Weir on the Leeann Dempster legacy at Hibs and the importance of the next CEO appointment
When she was first appointed chief executive six years ago the club wasn't going in the right direction and there was a disconnect with the fan base, but she brought that stability back to the club and reconnected it with the supporters. With her prowess in business she's also brought a lot of good ideas that have improved Hibs off the park. She's definitely done the job she was brought in to do, now it's just a matter of hoping we can find someone else to pick up the reins.
She has definitely stabilised the club from where it was when she came in. At that time the supporters didn't believe in what was happening at the club. She got us back on an even keel again to work forward and work together.
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Hide AdNo club will ever be successful being disconnected from the fans. It's all good talking about players but the most important thing at any club is the supporters. If you can get them with you and believing in what you are trying to do then you are onto a good one. Leeann has achieved that in her time at Easter Road and will leave the club in a position where it can push on to be the club it should be, which is a club looking to be in Europe every season. That's the standards a big club like Hibs should be setting and players who come in have to realise that. But the way we're going about our business at the moment, I don't think we can have too many complaints.
It's the sign of a good leader when they can make tough decisions that may not be popular but are the right ones. Leeann falls into that category. She's had to sack a few managers because the standard wasn't up to expectations, and she was prepared to do that, which is a sign of good leadership. She appointed Jack Ross who has come in and, for the situation he's been in with Covid, I think he's done a great job and he deserves credit for that. There's still a long way to go but there are certainly signs that we can push on and that's great credit to him and his staff.
The role of chief executive at Hibs has always been a big appointment. These are the people who need to get the belief of the supporters and make sure they do everything they can to push the club forward in terms of releasing money to spend on players, and getting the right quality into the club. We fell short a number of that a number of years ago. It never sat well with me having too many free transfers and loans. I thought to myself that we could never move forward doing that. But to be fair to Leeann she has brought good players into the club.
You don't often realise how good people like Leeann Dempster are until they are away. That's how it often is in football but she will leave her successor a good platform to build from. It's all about pushing on now and making sure the next appointment is the right one.