It’s a whole new ball game for Celtic’s incoming CEO
Celtic fans and Scottish football as a whole yesterday woke to the news Peter Lawwell was leaving his position as chief executive at Parkhead.
Such was the surprise at the announcement and Lawwell’s standing at both the club and within the game, the confirmation of his replacement went under the radar a little.
Dominic Mckay is joining the club from Scottish Rugby where he held the key position of chief operating officer.
He said the opportunity to join Celtic was “once in a lifetime” and will work closely with Lawwell who is hoping to “ensure a seamless transition… in order to make changes as smoothly as possible and maintain a focus on continued success on the field of play.”
Who is Dominic Mckay? He is a key figure in Scottish Rugby and has been for the last 13 years having joined the organisation back in 2008 as director of communications and public affairs.
A keen sailor, he used to chair charity Ocean Youth Trust Scotland which allows young people of all backgrounds experience sailing.
Mckay has raced yachts across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
What is his experience?
Prior to joining Scottish Rugby, Mckay worked primarily in communications, most notably with Pernod Ricard, the parent company to Scotch whisky business Chivas Brother. It was there where he got his biggest career break.
At Scottish Rugby, his influence grew over more than a decade. Firstly as director of communications and public affairs before joining the Scottish Rugby Board as an executive director in 2013.
In 2015 he was named chief operating officer, a wideranging role involving managing Murrayfield Stadium, plus marketing, ticketing and communications activity. He helped bring non-sporting events to the stadium and played a role in the growth of pro-teams Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Successes?
During his time at Scottish Rugby, the organisation have had great success in growing its revenues. Across four years to 2017, they increased by nearly £20 million while drastically reducing debt.
The finances arrived via a number of avenues, including games regularly selling out, a lucrative sponsorship deal with BT and partnerships with key organisations such as Tennent's, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barr soft drinks. They allowed for more investment into women's sport, which Mckay enthused about.
Why should fans be encouraged?
One of Mckay’s aims was to ensure Scottish Rugby connected with supporters in a “meaningful way”.
Scotland games at Murrayfield were renowned for being an occasion that was more than the action on the field, with activities for all the family in and around the stadium on matchdays.
“By going that extra mile… it’s enabled us to transform our relationship with those supporters, which has been fantastic, but also grow our revenues,” Mckay said in an interview with The Scotsman in 2017.
Could he push for alcohol to return to games?
“I guess we respect the fact that once the game’s over it’s nice to go and celebrate with a few beers," Mckay once said.
Scottish Rugby ensured there were plenty of amenities for fans to enjoy themselves before and after games, keeping them at the ground before and after games rather than letting them drift off to pubs around the city too quickly.
Considering the current climate, the discussion around alcohol in football grounds is far down the list of priorities. But Mckay, who will hold a key position within Scottish football could be in a strong place to look into such a possibility sometime down the line.
What his Scottish Rugby colleagues have had to say...
Chief executive Mark Dodson, pictured inset: “I have hugely enjoyed working with him and he has made a significant contribution to the progress we have made as a sport and organisation, including recently helping to bring significant private equity investment into the Pro 14.
“While we are sad to see him go in the summer we wish him well at Celtic FC and are delighted he is staying in Scottish sport and look forward to our paths crossing again in the future.”
Chairman John Jeffrey: "He has been instrumental in making Scottish Rugby a more attractive and viable commercial partner for a wide portfolio of sponsors and supporters, which in turn has helped us to increase investment across the game at all levels.
"Dominic has also worked to develop our positive relationship with the Scottish Government, which has been increasingly important during the pandemic.
“He can be proud of the legacy he will leave behind and we thank him wholeheartedly for his hard work and commitment to driving Scottish Rugby forward during his tenure.”