Who actually owns Celtic? Here’s a breakdown of Celtic’s shareholders

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·18 December 2023

Who actually owns Celtic? Here’s a breakdown of Celtic’s shareholders

A breakdown of Celtic’s ownership and powerbrokers….

Photo Vagelis Georgariou

After a first domestic loss at Celtic Park in two years, concerns around where the club is heading have been raised by supporters once again.

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Figures at club such as Chairman Peter Lawwell and his son Mark (Head of Recruitment) plus the CEO Michael Nicholson have been subject to much of the criticism, with the trio the conductors of the club’s recruitment in the summer transfer window, a window which can only be described as a catastrophic failure. Chants of ‘Sack the Board’ and Lawwell, Lawwell get to….’ were both loudly chanted at the game on Saturday as the supporters made their positions very clear indeed.

The boardroom at Celtic has been labelled ‘the old boys club’ by many fans, with the average age of members of the board standing at 62 years of age.

Dermot Desmond is seen prior to the Celtic vs St Mirren Cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park on May 20, 2023 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Dermot Desmond

Dermot Desmond is the club’s largest shareholder, occupying 34.64% of the shares, at a valuation of £51 million. Desmond has held his position as a member of the board of directors and largest shareholder since 1995. Ranked as the ninth richest man in Ireland, Desmond previously held stakes in Manchester United up until 2005 when he sold his shares in the club to Malcolm Glazer. When a Celtic manager is being appointed Dermot Desmond is usually centre-stage making the judgement calls and ultimately choosing the man of the job.

Chris Trainer

Christopher David Trainer holds the second largest amount of shares at 11.02%, at a valuation of £16 million. Trainer sold his business The Forrest Media Outdoor Advertising Company, reaping more than £32 million from the sale. However, even though the Scottish entrepreneur holds the biggest single stake in Celtic after Dermot Desmond, he doesn’t hold a position on the board of directors. Perhaps that’s down to his own choice. This is even more baffling when you consider former Chief Executive of Celtic Peter Lawwell, who is a member of the board, holds just a 0.3763% share in the club.

James Keane

As the third largest shareholder, James Mark Keane holds a 6.247% stake in the club. Keane is the owner of Woollen Mill and Kiltane, and is a big name in the clothing market in Scotland. However, like Chris Trainer, he too is not a member of the board of directors despite his large stake in the club.

Tom Allison

Thomas Allison holds a 3.549% stake in Celtic while occupying a position on the board of directors. He has held a position since 2001 and holds much more influence than Trainer and Keane who although have a greater stake in the club, are not members of the board of directors. He’s been referred to as the’ eyes and ears’ of Dermot Desmond so has considerable importance at the club.

Minor shareholders

The rest of Celtic’s equity is owned by various investment companies, alongside Swiss bank Banque Lombard Odier & Cie SA and also club Chairman Peter Lawwell. The Celtic Trust have been running a campaign which targets owning 5% of the club.