Celtic Trust speak out on departure of Peter Lawwell

By Euan Davidson

January 29, 2021

The Celtic Trust have issued a statement in response to Peter Lawwell’s retirement announcement.

The Trust, who are looking long-term at fan ownership of the club, have seen membership rise in recent months. A mixture of on-field disappointments and bad boardroom decisions have seen protests and supporters demanding change.

In a statement released on Twitter, the Trust said:

“There will be time enough after June to reflect on the tenure of Peter Lawwell as CEO of Celtic PLC but, from our perspective, we believe that the next 6 months are crucial for Celtic and there is a lot of work to be done to recover from our recent decline on the pitch and some longer-standing problems off the pitch.

“On that basis, we will be seeking a meeting with him as the current Chief Executive, armed with a renewed and strengthened mandate from our members, to put forward our position on what needs to be done.”

The Trust has been actively involved in important votes over recent years. The initiatives to reintroduce safe standing at Parkhead, as well as advert-free kids’ kits, have been headed by the group. On the 13th of December, they co-ordinated a safe and meaningful protest against the board.

A Peter Lawwell ‘wanted’ poster, during the Celtic Trust’s December protest / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

What next for The Celtic Trust?

The price of shares in Celtic PLC has risen this morning, following Lawwell’s announcement [LSE]. Shares are, at the time of writing, valued at £97.25.

With the Trust gaining membership, and shares still under £100, there is an opportunity for the Celtic Trust here. Jeanette Findlay of the Celtic Trust told 67 Hail Hail today that they are keeping an eye on the share price situation.

Dominic McKay is poised to take over as CEO in the summer. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of dialogue emerges. Communication between the board and supporters has been a major sticking point this season. In years prior, fans have made it clear that more transparency and communication is needed.

The Celtic Trust’s next moves could be very interesting indeed.

Talking of communication, Hamish Carton put the club’s social media activity to task on the 67 Hail Hail Youtube Channel.