Hearts ‘saviour’ Budge to step down as chair in December

Ann Budge will resign as chairperson of the Scottish Premiership club following the Scottish Premiership club’s annual meeting in December.

The 77-year-old Edinburgh-born entrepreneur took over Tynecastle’s board of directors in 2014 after Hearts suffered enormous debts left behind by former owner Vladimir Romanov, who had previously purchased the majority of the company.

Gerry Mallon, the chairman of the Foundation of Hearts, says Budge and the fans’ group will forever be remembered for their efforts to “rescue the club from the abyss.”

Budge says she has “done what I set out to do” with last week’s announcement that Brighton &amp owner Tony Bloom had invested close to £10 million in the club.

She continued, “This is something I have thought about for a long time.” I believe this is the ideal time to declare my resignation later this year after having spoken with the board about it.

I had no idea what the journey would take me on when I first joined the Foundation of Hearts in 2013.

“First things were first intended to stabilize the club before we even considered expanding.” I can now, 12 years later, allow myself to be proud of what the club has accomplished.

Hearts’ CEO, Andrew McKinlay, expressed his “gratitude” by expressing his gratitude. “It cannot be overstated how much Ann has contributed to Heart of Midlothian.”

In the meantime, Mallon stated: “We are extremely fortunate to have had 12 years of her knowledge and experience at the helm of Hearts. When she leaves the club, we will leave a remarkable legacy.

Her involvement in the creation of the Foundation of Hearts, in particular, cannot be minimized. She can’t do it justice for her significant contribution to rescuing the club from the depths and raising Scottish football’s standard.

The Foundation of Hearts and Budge provided financial security for the club in addition to the supporters group.

The fans continued to support Hearts with the “sold out” signs, which are a regular feature around Tynecastle, even though relegation occurred in season 2019-20 when the campaign was shortened as a result of the Covid pandemic.

A hotel is now available for Hearts off the field, just outside the stadium, and Budge has had a significant impact on attracting wealthy philanthropists to the organization.