Hibs tap into Bill Foley's Black Knights connection to bring key new addition to Easter Road

Garvan Stewart started his new role at Easter Road on Monday after spending the last 12 years at English Premier League side Bournemouth where he was most recently head of recruitment analysis. Hibs say the 38-year-old Irishman will be working closely with sporting director Malky Mackay on "all areas of player identification and recruitment" - a department where the club has faced criticism in recent years.

Stewart’s appointment follows a difficult period at the Leith club that has resulted in three managers being sacked in less than two years with current head coach David Gray also receiving a vote of confidence last month before ending a nine-match winless run with a 3-0 victory at Motherwell on Saturday which lifted Hibs off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership table.

"It’s great to be able to bring someone of Garvan’s calibre to the football club," Mackay said. “He’s been part of a highly successful recruitment team at AFC Bournemouth and will add real experience and guile to our player identification department.

“Garvan’s expertise in data and analysis, and his knowledge of Bournemouth’s and Black Knight’s systems, will be invaluable for us, and will hugely enhance our recruitment process and strategy. I’m looking forward to having him on board.”

Stewart will pick up the reins ahead of the upcoming January transfer window as well as planning ahead to next summer as Hibs prepare for another rebuild of the first-team squad. A club statement added: "An expert in his field, Stewart’s skillset will allow the Club to reap the rewards from Black Knight Football’s scouting and player data resource."

Foley’s Black Knight Football group purchased a 25 per cent stake in Hibs for £6million in March. The Texan billionaire is the current chairman and owner of Bournemouth and is understood to have played a key role in the appointment of Stewart.

Simon Francis, technical director at Bournemouth, added: “During his time at Bournemouth, Garvan demonstrated a great work ethic, professionalism, and the ability to connect player profiles to the needs of the club within the recruitment and data departments.

“We will continue to work closely with Garvan, as well as Malky and everyone at Hibernian to enhance on-pitch performance.”