LEEANN Dempster has rejected claims that she interferes with first-team affairs and declared the appointment of Paul Heckingbottom is a new era for the club.

With little information regarding the exact circumstances surrounding former head coach Neil Lennon’s exit last month, the Hibernian chief executive has found herself under increased scrutiny.

As well as some fans expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of clarity on that matter, high-profile pundits have implied that Lennon may not have enjoyed the autonomy he wanted in the transfer market due to Dempster’s influence.

Dempster concedes that the past fortnight under the microscope has been challenging and says that, given her time again, she may have handled things differently. However, she has stoutly defended her role.

“I think I’ve had a good relationship with everybody I’ve worked with,” she said. “I’ve been categorised as an interferer recently and I understand why folk might think that. But I’d deny that. I don’t think it’s true.

“We bring people in here who I’d hope can excel at the work they do and we trust them to do that.

“Is it frustrating to be seen that way? Not particularly. But have I enjoyed the last couple of weeks? Not desperately.

“I’m sure there are other people who haven’t enjoyed the last couple of weeks either, but you take decisions in life as they come towards you, whether it be that minute, that hour or that week. We can’t live our life in rewind, we have to go with what happens at that particular time.

“You take decisions and you have to live with them. Sometimes you can reflect and see you might have wanted to approach it in a different way. But that’s just life.”

The appointment of Heckingbottom is the third made by Dempster and, with Alan Stubbs lifting the Scottish Cup and Neil Lennon winning the Championship before securing European qualification, she will once again trust the judgment of her recruitment team.

Dempster added: “We have to back ourselves and think that the decision we’ve made is the right one. With Paul [Heckingbottom] and Robbie [Stockdale], it feels like we are moving in to a new phase of the club – a transition and a new opportunity.”