Stewart Milne CBE, DBA, DTech (born 23 July 1950)[1] is a Scottish businessman and former football club chairman, from Alford, Aberdeenshire.

Stewart Milne
Born23 July 1950 (1950-07-23) (age 74)
Known forChairman of Aberdeen F.C. (1998 - 2019)

Milne is a major shareholder in Aberdeen F.C., and joined the club's board of directors in 1994 to replace Dick Donald, subsequently becoming chairman in 1998. In November 2019, shortly after opening a new training facility on the western outskirts of the city, he announced that he would be stepping down as chairman.[2]

He has an honorary doctorate in business administration from Robert Gordon University (December 2000),[3] and an honorary doctorate of technology from Edinburgh Napier University (November 2007),[citation needed] and an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University, in recognition of his outstanding entrepreneurial contribution to the housebuilding, construction and property development industry and to the Scottish economy, also for services to higher education in Scotland.[citation needed] He earned the 2005 Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year award. In the 2008 New Year Honours, he was awarded a CBE for services to the housebuilding industry in Scotland.[4]

Milne has most recently been appointed to the newly formed "Football Monitoring Board" at Aberdeen. This taskforce has been assembled outwith of any AGM, EGM nor was there any public knowledge of such group. Fellow members are Dave Cormack, Willie Garner and Steven Gunn.[citation needed]

Stewart Milne Group

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Milne founded the Aberdeen-based Stewart Milne Construction Group, a housebuilding contractor, in 1975. He started off his business renovating bathrooms.

Stewart Milne Group sold its timber frame manufacturing subsidiary to Fife-based James Donaldson & Sons in 2021.[5] In April 2022, the group announced that the housebuilding business was up for sale.[6] In January 2024, the Scottish housebuilding business went into administration with the loss of 217 jobs,[7] due to "the slump in the oil-linked property market around Aberdeen and the firm's hesitance to buy land during Covid".[8] The group's English subsidiary,[9] Manchester-based Stewart Milne Homes North West England (Developments) Ltd, also went into administration, on 12 January 2023, with Homes England set to lose up to £9.2m as a result.[10] The group collapsed owing suppliers and subcontractors £153m.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Biographies — The Entrepreneurial Exchange".
  2. ^ Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne to step down as club may look to stay at Pittodrie, The Scotsman, 22 November 2019
  3. ^ "Graduation December 2000" (PDF). rgu.ac.uk. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Award for one of Aberdeen College's most famous former students | Aberdeen City News | STV Local". local.stv.tv. 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  5. ^ Findlay, Keith (16 December 2021). "Stewart Milne Group focused on housebuilding after sale of timber kit arm". Press and Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  6. ^ Prior, Grant (21 April 2022). "Stewart Milne Group puts house builder up for sale". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  7. ^ Paterson, Laura (9 January 2024). "Fears grow for housebuilders after Stewart Milne Group enters administration". The Standard. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  8. ^ Gayne, Daniel (31 January 2024). "How and why Stewart Milne collapsed: analysing the numbers". Building. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Stewart Milne's English construction business set to follow rest of firm into administration". Building. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  10. ^ Weinfass, Iain (22 January 2024). "Exclusive: Homes England owed £9.2m by collapsed Stewart Milne". Construction News. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  11. ^ Prior, Grant (22 February 2024). "Stewart Milne went down owing supply chain £153m". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 23 February 2024.