THE first thing Leeann Dempster says is that she is not a cheerleader for “women in sport”. The Hibernian chief executive claims not to be an expert on the subject, but whether she likes it or not, the 46-year-old has, over the past nine years, become a symbol, in the eyes of those both inside and outside sport, of what a woman can achieve.

Working in the cut-throat, and often sexist, world of men’s football may be considered by some to be the definition of operating in the lion’s den, but what is immediately striking about Dempster is that she has refused to accept that being in a minority is any sort of issue.

“I know there are women in sport – and in every industry actually – who do face challenges and sexism, but I really can’t think of a single time that I have,” she says as she holds court in a meeting room just off the main office area, overlooking the Easter Road pitch. “I enjoy what I do and I enjoy my working environment, albeit it’s pretty male-dominated, there’s no disputing that. I’ve never personally felt challenged about the fact that I’m female, but people are certainly interested in it.”

There is a sense that Dempster is bored with the question. In many ways, it is a form of sexism in itself – interviewers don’t line up to speak to the Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell about what it is like to be a man in men’s football. But the fact Dempster

remains so heavily outnumbered means that, by default, the topic remains relevant.

With Ann Budge owning Hearts, Edinburgh has two women at the top of the men’s game, but scratch the surface and further high-profile women become harder to find. Dempster is approaching her 10th year in men’s football and celebrates her third

anniversary at Hibs this summer following her move from Motherwell.

While the gender disparity remains significant, things are, Dempster says, improving, and she is aware her presence at the top of the men’s game can give hope to younger women that the glass ceiling is not impenetrable.

“In the nine years I’ve been involved in men’s football, I have seen a lot more women coming through and, undoubtedly, there are more women working in other roles at football clubs, which is as it should be. And there’s much more visibility, so if I’ve added

to that even a little bit then I’m happy to have been a part of that,” she says, before adding: “I don’t want to sound blasé and so I do also need to remember that being a woman in the man’s game is a good thing because I can be a role model for young women. And since I’ve not had any personal issues, I’d like to take that forward for other women – and for anybody actually – so if I can act as a guide or an inspiration for a young person who wants to get into football or into sport then I’d like to do that.”

That said, Dempster is keen to stress that while her door is always open to other woman looking for advice on how to get into men’s football, she will never show any favouritism towards women in terms of recruitment.

Hibs have three female board members – a disproportionately high number compared with most clubs in Britain – while the SFA still have none. But Dempster is at pains to stress they are there on merit. Studies have shown interviewers invariably hire someone like themselves, so if it’s a man doing the interviewing, it doesn’t take a genius to work out who he is likely to subconsciously favour, this being one reason why the gender imbalance in male-dominated workplaces persists.

Quotas are often cited as a means of redressing the balance but it is something Dempster is vehemently against. “I think for elected representatives or in the public sector it’s maybe different, but I think where business is concerned, business doesn’t have to be forced – business needs to find its own way there and make the right choices,” she said. “I think you’re seeing a growth in women in the boardroom. Maybe not to the extent we would like to see, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”

However, Dempster believes there is one situation in which a female coach should be given priority over a male one and that is in the women’s game. Shelley Kerr was recently announced as the successor to Anna Signeul as head coach of the Scottish women’s national team when their European Championship campaign ends this summer. There had been several men linked to the post so Kerr’s appointment delighted Dempster.

“Shelley was the stand-out candidate for the job and I personally would have been disappointed if she hadn’t got it,” she said. “Having had such a fantastic female coach in Anna and then to have given the job to a man would, I think, have been a backward step. I really think the right thing to do for the women’s game at the moment, if you have a man and a woman who are equally qualified, is to give that post to the woman.

“That might run counter to what I’ve said before but Shelley was the best person for the job anyway. She’s a real gain for the women’s game and a loss to the men’s game because she’s an excellent coach.”

A feminist is, in short, someone who advocates for social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men and on the face of it, it seems Dempster fits the description. Yet she refuses to accept the label, stressing that her priority is equality for everyone in society, not just women.

“I would consider myself someone who is interested in equality and social justice and so I wouldn’t pigeon-hole myself as a feminist,” she said. “I care about people and I never really got into the feminism aspect of things. For me, it was more about people’s quality of life and how I could try to help to make things better. I know some people will gasp and say – what, you’re not a feminist? But just because I don’t call myself a feminist doesn’t mean I’m not an advocate of equality, it’s just that, for me, I’m more interested in equality for everybody.”

So, how close does she think football is to equality for everybody? On the racism front, much progress has been made in recent times, but the fact remains that no male footballer in Britain has come out as gay during their playing career. Dempster believes the sport would not be as hostile to a gay player as some might anticipate.

“I genuinely believe football would be welcoming to a footballer coming out as gay – this club certainly would be,” she said. “We will, I think and hope, see it in the not-too-distant future. It’s an individual’s personal choice to come out, but is football a welcoming environment for a gay person to come out? On this side of the business it certainly is and I’ve never had any issues around being gay in football. Equally, on the sporting side of the business, I think it could be and would be [welcoming]. I don’t think we give football enough credit sometimes and so it’ll just take one or two people to be brave enough to do it. For me, it should be a non-issue and we need to make it a non-issue.”

While Dempster believes men’s football is sometimes underestimated in terms of how open it is towards those who are different, it is indisputable that sexism is still prevalent. The most recent example was David Moyes’ controversial comments to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks, over which he was, last week, charged by the FA.

The Sunderland manager was widely condemned but how does Dempster, who is adamant that she has never encountered

such attitudes, feel when she hears of women in the game being treated in such a derogatory fashion?

“I was surprised,” she says bluntly. “I was surprised he said it and I was surprised it was reported in the way it was. He absolutely used the wrong terminology, he made a mistake and he didn’t follow it up particularly well. But afterwards, I don’t think he got the chance to fully redress it. The early stuff got a lot of coverage but I don’t think his apology afterwards got enough. But I was just surprised because why would you say something like that?”

This most recent example highlights that gender equality within men’s football still has a way to go but Dempster’s experience suggests progress is being made. Her continuing presence in the sport may just accelerate that process.