Leeann Dempster insists she's still a massive fan of Neil Lennon despite the Irishman's explosive exit from Hibs.
The current Celtic interim boss was suspended by his former team in January before he left his position with the Easter Road side.
An agreement was reached between Hibs and Lennon not to discuss the details of his departure but speculation was rife it was due to a breakdown in the relationship between Dempster and the 47-year-old.
But Hibs' chief executive has now opened up for the first time about Lennon since he left and says she still has huge admiration for the man who guided Hibs back into the Premiership.
Dempster revealed how she has kept a picture of Lennon on her desk, despite his departure three months ago.
She told BBC Radio Scotland’s Stark Talk: "There's been a lot written about the kind of relationship between Neil and I, particularly towards the end of his time at Hibernian.
"I know a lot of it is incorrect. Neil was an incredibly important part of life here at Hibernian, and he's incredibly well respected.
"Some may find this strange to believe but I like him very much.
"I feel he still has a stature within the club, therefore I've left the photograph up.
"I thought about it (removing it), then I felt it was probably inappropriate.
"People come and go for different reasons, Neil was great for us and we're grateful for that."
Dempster has also lifted the lid on how chairman Rod Petrie offered her a chance to escape after relegation to the Championship in 2014.
But the 48-year-old insists she was never going to choose the easy way out and doubled down on her efforts to get Hibs flying again.
She added: "The chairman here at Hibernian, Rod Petrie, after the club was relegated, called me that evening and said 'this wasn't what you signed up for, I accept that it's not the discussion that you and I had'.
“I thought, 'you're having a laugh… I'm not leaving now.
"There's not a chance I'm going to walk away when things are tough, if anything it makes me more determined."
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