Hibernian appoint Leicester City commercial director as new CEO

Hibernian have announced the appointment of the former Leicester City commercial director as their new chief executive officer.

Dan Barnett will officially begin his new role at Easter Road on August 1.

He spent six years at the King Power Stadium before leaving at the end of the season when they were relegated from the English Premier League.

Prior to joining Leicester, Barnett worked for UEFA in Switzerland, two America’s Cup cycles in San Francisco, California and Bermuda as CEO, and Olympic experience in the USA as chief marketing and commercial officer at U.S. Ski & Snowboard in Park City, Utah – the Olympic National Governing Body of ski and snowboard sports in the USA.

After the move was confirmed on Monday, Barnett said: “It is a tremendous honour to be joining Hibernian FC as chief executive officer.

“This is a club steeped in a proud history, with an incredibly passionate fanbase, and with huge potential as we enter an exciting new era for the football club.

“From my first meeting with Ian Gordon, I have been excited about the vision for Hibernian FC and implementing a strategy to help us achieve our goals here.

“I am excited to start work in July, to work alongside my new colleagues, our supporters, and our partners, and to begin implementing our plan together as we strive to deliver a successful future for the football club.”

Hibs chairman Ian Gordon said: “I am delighted to welcome Dan as the club’s new chief executive officer.

“The process of appointing our new CEO has been long and thorough, to ensure we hired the right person to lead the business side of the football club.

“We wanted someone with real business acumen that could help propel this fantastic club forward, and Dan’s experience and expertise made him the outstanding candidate.

“Dan is an ambitious, forward-thinking leader with experience not only in football but sports organisations across the world.

“His commercial nous and track record of implementing successful strategies will greatly benefit a number of areas at Hibernian FC.

“Alongside this, he will be a great cultural fit at Easter Road and HTC, and will drive standards to ensure we are constantly improving. I look forward to seeing how he takes our vision for the club to the next level.”