Film executive Stewart Till has replaced Peter de Savary as Millwall’s football club chairman.
Till takes over with immediate effect and de Savary will remain on the board as chairman of Millwall Holdings PLC.
Heather Rabbatts also joins the board as Executive Deputy Chairman.
Rabbatts, a television executive and former governor of the BBC, will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the football club as well as the proposed development of a ‘Sports City’ around The Den.
Till, chairman and CEO of UIP Pictures, will focus on finding a new manager and it is believed he is ready to provide the cash to fund a high-profile appointment.
Former Sunderland boss Peter Reid is thought to be at the top of his wanted list.
Till said: ‘Our intention is to return to the Championship at the end of the forthcoming season.
‘One of my first tasks is the recruitment of a new team manager to bring glory back to The Den.’
Forest Hill-based Till has been a Lions fan for 47 years and added: ‘I have been a supporter of Millwall since my father took me to see them play Carlisle in 1959.
‘I have watched them regularly and been a season ticket holder and Gold Executive Club Member.’
Rabbatts will have an important role as she aims to fulfill de Savary’s desire to turn South Bermondsey into a desirable location for city workers to live and spend their leisure time.
She said: ‘I am looking forward to taking Millwall Football Club back to its rightful place in the upper echelons of the game and developing an urban regeneration programme that will benefit the whole community.’
VITALVIEW
There’s never a dull moment down at The Den. After just six months in charge de Savary has obviously had enough of the flak that comes with life with the Lions.
A man not accustomed to being told he is wrong, it must have come as shock to him to be abused so vocally as the team slipped towards relegation.
Bringing in a new man with soild Millwall credentials allows de Savary to slip into the background, but still maintain his main interest – making money from the development of the area around the ground.
How Till and his new right-hand woman will cope with de Savary, Paphitis and Burnidge still on the board remains to be seen. There’s no chance of sweeping them out, so the film boss might have a bit of a Misson: Impossible on his hands. Instead of A Few Good Men around him, he’s got a bunch of self-serving egotists. Good luck mate, you’ll need it.
Till takes over
