Leeann Dempster

Last updated

Leeann Dempster is a Scottish football executive. She was the Chief Executive (CEO) of Queen's Park, having previously held the same position at Motherwell and Hibernian. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Career

Dempster worked in advertising before becoming sales and marketing director for Zoom Airlines for two years.

After the airline's collapse, John Boyle, co-founder of the airline and owner of Motherwell FC, recruited Dempster, first as general manager, then chief executive. In her time at Motherwell, the team finished second in the Scottish Premiership twice, and third once, reaching the qualifying rounds for the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League.

She moved to Hibernian in June 2014. The club won the Scottish Cup in 2016, for the first time since 1902. They achieved promotion to the Scottish Premiership in 2017, and subsequently finished in the top six twice.

On 26 November 2020, it was announced that Dempster would step down as CEO of Hibernian, after six years. [4] On 12 January 2021, Queen's Park announced Dempster was to join the club as Chief Executive.

Personal life

Dempster was brought up in the East End of Glasgow by a Catholic mother and a Protestant father. Her family supported Rangers. [5] Before her professional involvement in football, Dempster had been a Rangers season ticket holder but had long since let her attendance lapse. [6]

Dempster has spoken about realising she was gay in her 20s. She entered into a civil partnership in 2007. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hibernian F.C.</span> Association football club in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland

Hibernian Football Club, commonly known as Hibs, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. The club was founded in 1875 by members of Edinburgh's Irish community, and the name is derived from the Latin for Ireland. The Irish heritage of Hibernian is still reflected in the name, colours and badge of the club. Their local rivals are Heart of Midlothian, with whom they contest the Edinburgh derby.

The 2001–2002 Scottish Premier League was the fourth season of the Scottish Premier League, the top level of football in Scotland. It began on 28 July 2001 and concluded on 12 May 2002.

Season 2007–08 for Hibernian could be split into three distinct parts: a great unbeaten start to the Scottish Premier League season that temporarily took the club to the top of the league; a terrible middle phase which saw a long winless run and the resignation of John Collins as Hibs manager; and, finally, a modest recovery under the management of Mixu Paatelainen, who was appointed in January 2008. This took Hibs into the top half of the SPL, but short of third place and the UEFA Cup spot, which was won by Motherwell.

Season 2006–07 was a mixed season for Hibernian; their league form suffered from extended cup runs, and they eventually finished sixth. The reward for their cup form was a first trophy in 16 years, thrashing Kilmarnock 5–1 in the final to lift the CIS Cup. Hibs were knocked out of the Scottish Cup in a semi-final replay by Dunfermline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Petrie</span>

Roderick McKenzie Petrie is a Scottish football executive. He was the chairman and chief executive of Hibernian for over 20 years, and served on the boards of the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League. Petrie, who is a qualified chartered accountant and trained with Ernst & Young.

Season 2005–06 was a season of missed opportunities for Hibernian. The team started strongly in the league, winning 10 of their first 14 games, but this form dipped after Christmas. The Scottish Cup seemed to be opening up for Hibs after they defeated Rangers 3–0 at Ibrox in the fourth round, but they then lost 4–0 in an Edinburgh derby semi–final against Hearts. Hibs lost 3–0 in the quarter–final of the Scottish League Cup at Dunfermline, and were well beaten by Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the UEFA Cup.

Season 2003–04 was a disappointment for Hibernian, as the team again finished in the bottom half of the Scottish Premier League, and was knocked out at the first stage of the Scottish Cup. The main highlight of the season was the run to the 2004 Scottish League Cup Final, which Hibs reached by defeating both halves of the Old Firm. This also ended in disappointment, however, as the Final was lost 2–0 to Livingston. A month after that defeat, manager Bobby Williamson was allowed to leave the club to manage Plymouth Argyle.

Season 2002–03 was a disappointment for Hibernian, as the team finished in the bottom half of the Scottish Premier League in Bobby Williamson's first full season in charge. The team were also knocked out of the two domestic cup competitions at an early stage. In a preview for the next season, BBC Sport commented that the biggest problem "was a fragile defence that developed a nasty habit of conceding late goals".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005–06 Heart of Midlothian F.C. season</span> Heart of Midlothian 2005–06 football season

The 2005–06 season was the 109th season of competitive football by Heart of Midlothian, and their 23rd consecutive season in the top level of Scottish football, competing in the Scottish Premier League. Hearts also competed in the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.

The 2013–14 season was Hibernian's fifteenth consecutive season in the top flight of the Scottish football league system, having been promoted from the Scottish First Division at the end of the 1998–99 season. Having lost the 2013 Scottish Cup Final to league champions Celtic, Hibs entered the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, but suffered a Scottish record aggregate defeat against Swedish club Malmö in the second qualifying round. Hibs also competed in the 2013–14 Scottish League Cup but lost to Heart of Midlothian in the quarter-final at Easter Road. Days after that defeat, manager Pat Fenlon resigned and was replaced with Terry Butcher. Hibs were knocked out of the 2013–14 Scottish Cup in the fifth round by Raith Rovers. A long winless run to finish the 2013–14 Scottish Premiership season meant that Hibs finished in 11th place, and they were relegated after a playoff against Hamilton Academical.

The 2014–15 Scottish Premiership was the second season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football. The season began on 9 August 2014 and ended on the 31 May 2015. Celtic were the defending champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul McGinn</span> Scottish footballer

Paul McGinn is a Scottish footballer, who plays as a right-back for Scottish Premiership club Motherwell and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Queen's Park, Dumbarton, Dundee, Chesterfield, Partick Thistle, St Mirren and Hibernian.

The 2018–19 season was Hibernian's (Hibs) second season of play back in the top league of Scottish football, having been promoted from the Scottish Championship at the end of the 2016–17 season. Hibs also entered the Europa League, and progressed through two qualifying rounds before losing to Norwegian club Molde. They were knocked out of the League Cup in a penalty shootout by Aberdeen, and in the Scottish Cup by Celtic, and finished fifth in the league.

The 2020–21 season is Hibernian's (Hibs) fourth season of play back in the top league of Scottish football, having been promoted from the Scottish Championship at the end of the 2016–17 season. Hibs lost in the semi-finals of the League Cup to St Johnstone, and in the 2021 Scottish Cup Final to the same opponents. Hibs finished third in the Premiership, which was their highest league position since 2004–05.

The 2021 Scottish Cup Final was the 136th final of the Scottish Cup and the final of the 2020–21 Scottish Cup, the most prestigious knockout football competition in Scotland. The match was played on 22 May 2021 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. St Johnstone completed the historic cup double by winning it.

The 2021–22 season was Hibernian's (Hibs) fifth season of play back in the top league of Scottish football, having been promoted from the Scottish Championship at the end of the 2016–17 season. Hibs lost 2–1 to Celtic in the League Cup final and by the same score to Hearts in a Scottish Cup semi-final. Earlier in the season they participated in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League, losing to Croatian side HNK Rijeka.

The 2022–23 Scottish Premiership was the tenth season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football, and the 126th edition overall of the top national league competition, not including one cancelled due to World War II. The season began on 30 July 2022.

The 2022–23 season is Hibernian's sixth season of play back in the Scottish Premiership, top division of Scottish football, having been promoted from the Scottish Championship at the end of the 2016–17 season. Hibs were knocked out of the Scottish Cup in the fourth round and at the group stage of the League Cup.

The 2022–23 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup was the 20th edition of the Scottish Women's Premier League's league cup competition, which began in 2002. It was sponsored by Sky Sports and officially known as the Sky Sports Scottish Women's Premier League Cup. The competition was contested by all 16 teams of the two divisions of the Scottish Women's Premier League.

The 2021–22 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup was the 20th edition of the SWPL Cup competition, which began in 2002. The competition was to be contested by all 18 teams of the two divisions of the Scottish Women's Premier League and they were divided into four qualifying groups. However Forfar Farmington withdrew after playing just one match, so only 17 teams continued in the competition. Forfar's withdrawal made Dundee United's 10–0 win in the first match of the group stages null and void.

References

  1. ↑ "Hibernian recruit Motherwell chief executive Leeann Dempster". BBC Sport. 29 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Leeann Dempster: A woman will manage a top Scottish club in the next five years . . . maybe even Hibs". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  3. ↑ "Leeann Dempster Joins Queen's Park". Queen's Park Football Club. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Hibernian chief executive Leeann Dempster to depart after six years". Sky Sports.
  5. 1 2 "Hibs chief Leeann Dempster opens up about love of her life and being gay". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com.
  6. ↑ "Off the Ball - 27/04/2019 - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk.
Nuvola apps kchart.svg

This United Kingdom business-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.