Hibs have announced director Stephen Dunn has sadly passed away.

Dunn - who had served on the board on three occasions - passed away peacefully on Wednesday following a short illness.

The director had served the club between 1998 to 2006, 2015 to 2021 and then again from July 2022 as a non-executive director.

Dunn - described as a friend and mentor to many during his time at the club - was also a successful businessman away from football.

The lifelong Hibs fan helped establish the Hibernian Historical Trust and was "influential for some time" in Hibernian Supporters Limited. He also aided the club in providing official photography.

A club statement read: "Everyone at Hibernian FC was deeply saddened at the passing of Stephen Dunn on Wednesday 13 September, 2023.

"Our thoughts, and the thoughts of everyone associated with the Club, are with his wife Joan, and his children Lauren and Callum.

"When Stephen joined – or rather re-joined – the Board as a Non-Executive Director in July 2022, he smiled when it was pointed out he’d joined a notable list of Hibernian hat-trick heroes.

"He first served between June 1998 and May 2006, before returning in June 2015 and staying as a Board member until May 2021. In making it three separate periods of service, in his own unique way he notched up a triple that few, if any, others have achieved. It might not have got the acclamation received by the trebles of all of the Famous Five, Joe Baker, Jimmy O’Rourke et al right through to today’s stars like Martin Boyle. But perhaps it should have.

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"Stephen, who passed peacefully after a short illness, loved Hibs. Serving the Club and its supporters achieved a life goal. And Stephen didn’t merely serve on the Board, he immersed himself in the Club, barely missing a game. In those periods when he wasn’t in the boardroom, he could generally be found in hospitality, hosting friends and family with his customary gusto. He was a director, friend, and mentor to many people who worked at the Club during his tenures. He helped establish the Hibernian Historical Trust, driven by his deep passion for and interest in our history and his determination to help preserve it. He was influential for some time in Hibernian Supporters Limited, and through one of his other passions – his love and expertise in photography and videography – he helped encourage the Club’s creativity in that growing area. A fully-fledged and qualified commercial photographer (as a hobby) he also took many official Club photographs just for the fun of it. He was proud of his Niddrie heritage and enjoyed swapping Hibs and Niddrie stories with his friend, club legend Pat Stanton.

"He was interested in anything, and everything, Hibernian. He was, however, anything but a one-trick pony. Stephen was a high-achieving businessman and held many Board level roles including a spell on the Board of Edinburgh College, and as Human Resources and Communications Director with the Miller Group, and Corporate Services Director at ScottishPower, the latter working his way up after joining the company as a raw teenager.

"He was also cultured, he enjoyed reading and loved theatre, and served on the Board of his beloved Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre. He was knowledgeable on fine wine, and his penchant for a good steak was the stuff of legend. The best kind of dinner companion.

"Stephen was a man who grabbed life by the tail. He charted his own course, and he did it well. He will be sadly missed."