Muirfield Mills investor set for ICT board position
ONE of the Muirfield Mills Investors is expected to join Caley Thistle’s board of directors next week as the full group can be revealed for the first time.
Alan MacPhee, who has recently returned to Inverness after a career in the oil industry in the Yemen, Dubai and the Far East, is expected to be confirmed on the board by chairman Kenny Cameron next week.
He was one of the original four Muirfield Mills Investors, alongside Richard Hillier, Graham Rae and Paul MacInnes, who invested £250,000 into the club in 2012, which also saw them appointed members of the Inverness Caledonian Thistle Trust.
Hillier is a chartered accountant based in Geneva, Switzerland; MacInnes a retired oil executive returning to Inverness from Abu Dhabi and Rae has worked in the oil industry in both Houston, Texas and latterly Abu Dhabi.
New members of the consortium can also be revealed for the first time. Emeric Innes, son of the late Inverness solicitor and Caley Thistle fan Iain, will be joined by Dr Colin Fettes, who lives in the Black Isle and regularly travels as the team doctor for Scotland’s under-21 side.
Phillipines-based Dave Burgess, the country manager of a civil engineering firm, is also part of the group, as is Victor Fornari, a former director of oil and gas companies in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, who is now living in Inverness. Russell Cameron, a retired businessman living in Florida, is the final Muirfield Mills investor.
All are originally from the Highland Capital and flew in to Glasgow for the Scottish Cup final victory over Falkirk last month.
“The Muirfield Mills Investors are a group of guys who have remained close friends since our days at school,” said MacPhee. “At the end of the day we’re just Inverness football fans who wanted to give something back to the community. We hope other like-minded fans will one day join us to help shape the club in the future.
“It was fantastic to see the team lift the trophy and we can now look forward to our European adventure, an exciting new chapter in the club’s short history.”MacPhee has the club in his blood — his gradfather Angus was an early captain of Inverness Caledonian, while he grew up in Crown supporting city rivals Thistle.
The consortium first invested in the club three years ago where Richard Smith, the director of Inverness firm Allied Souter and Jaffrey, was invited to join the board and acted as the group’s public figurehead. It is understood that another Inverness businessman will join the board in the coming weeks, taking the current members up to eight, although it is not thought to be another Muirfield Mills investor.
Meanwhile, Caley Thistle have made their first summer signing with the addition of former Stoke City youngster Nat Wedderburn on a one-year deal. The central midfielder, who can also play in the defence, spent the last two seasons playing for Cowdenbeath.
“It’s great to be joining a club who has been successful recently. The step up to this level will be a challenge, but I’m ready to take it,” said Wedderburn, who made 74 appearances over two seasons with the Blue Brazil. “I don’t expect to go straight into the team. It’s like when you go to any new club, you have to earn that right, but I am here to work hard and play my part.”
It is also expected Edward Ofere will be playing his football elsewhere next season after an “exceptional” offer from Caley Thistle went un-signed. Ofere arrived in February on a free transfer and scored six goals in 13 games, including important strikes in the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic and Dundee, which guaranteed Inverness’ place in Europe.
Talks remain ongoing with Nick Ross in the hope that the midfielder can be persuaded to extend his stay at the Highland Capital club into the new season.
Caley Thistle players return for pre-season training next week, where friendlies will be finalised, and it remains to be seen if Ross will be joining them.
