Who is Malcolm Offord? Incoming Rangers chairman who steered previous club through funding crisis

Rangers look set to turn to the House of Lords for their new chairman, with Malcolm Offord to replace John Bennett in the role.

Bennett - who replaced Douglas Park in March 2023 - stepped down in September after just over a year as the club’s chairman, citing health reasons for his decision, with former director John Gilligan taking over on a temporary basis. However the Ibrox club are now turning to merchant banker and Conservative peer Malcolm Offord as they look for stability off the park.

Offord - who holds the title Baron Offord of Garvel - will join incoming chief executive Patrick Stewart in a new look Ibrox boardroom. With the former Manchester United supremo replacing James Bisgrove following his lucrative move to Saudi Arabia six months ago. Here Record Sport takes a closer look at the man set for the top job in Glasgow’s south side.

Offord was born in Greenock in September of 1964 and completed a law degree at the University of Edinburgh, before starting a career in investment banking that would last for 25 years. After leaving the city he established the Edinburgh-based management consultancy Badenoch & Co in 2013, but is no longer listed as a director of the firm on Companies House. He currently holds six active directorships, and has been involved in 64 now-inactive roles at other firms.

Aside from his work background, Offord is an active figure in politics and was appointed a Conservative life peer in the House of Lords in 2021, serving in the governments of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. He was an outspoken campaigner against Scottish independence, and set up the pro-UK campaign group No Borders prior to the 2014 vote.

This will mark Offord’s first venture into football, but he comes with