Hibernian Football Club are delighted to confirm that Graeme Mathie is to become the club’s first-ever Sporting Director.

Following on from George Craig’s decision to step down as Head of Football Operations at the end of the calendar year, Graeme will look to build on the progress and achievements of the past five years, including promotion as Championship winners, qualifying for Europe and enjoying our best run for many years, and – of course – winning the Scottish Cup in 2016.

While Graeme will inherit solid foundations on which to build, he is more focused on playing a key role in the creation of a consistently successful new era at Easter Road Stadium.

Graeme has been Head of Player Identification & Recruitment at Hibernian since August 2014.

Prior to his arrival in Edinburgh, he worked with the Scottish FA and Celtic – following on from a career as a professional footballer with Coventry City, AFC Bournemouth, Motherwell, Ayr United, East Fife and Albion Rovers.

Ahead of taking up his new post, Graeme said: “This is a role that I am hugely excited about and I understand and relish the responsibility to help deliver success for this great club.

“I have to thank Ron, Leeann and the board for this opportunity. I am enthused by the vision that Ron and Leeann and others are working on for this club. I’m excited by the possibilities here and will do everything I can as part of the team to help bring about the success our supporters deserve.”

Graeme also paid tribute to the work done by George Craig.

He added: “I’d also like to express my gratitude to George. I believe this can be the start of a new, exciting period for Hibernian and none of that would be possible without the culture, facilities and staff he’s helped put in place.

“George brought me to the club and has always trusted and supported me to develop both personally and professionally. I want to ensure we build on his legacy and help realise his vision for what Hibernian can be.”

Chief Executive Leeann Dempster added: “We are delighted to announce Graeme as our first Sporting Director.

“It’s important that we build on the success we have had in recent years and the foundations that have been put in place. Graeme has been central to those achievements and we look forward to seeing him develop in his new role.

“Ron’s arrival is creating a fresh impetus, with a lot of work going on. We are more determined than ever to be successful within Scottish football, to enjoy regular exposure to European football and deliver a team and a club that supporters can be proud of.

“We all have a part to play in that.”

Graeme will officially start in his new position on January 1, 2020.

You can watch Graeme's interview with Hibs TV in full here.