HEARTS have appointed Campbell Ogilvie, the former Rangers secretary, as their new general secretary and operations director.

Ogilvie, who begins his new role on December 5, will effectively run the Tynecastle club on a day-to-day basis, reporting directly to Roman Romanov, the Hearts chairman and acting chief executive.

He was secretary then director-secretary of Rangers from 1979 before being relieved of those duties in a recent bout of restructuring at Ibrox, which left him as merely a nonexecutive board member.

He is also a vice-president of UEFA and the SFA, and chairman of the National Youth Initiative.

His capture is a major coup for Romanov and his father, Vladimir, the club's biggest single shareholder.

Ogilvie is regarded as an outstanding administrator by everyone within the game at national, European and world level for his knowledge of the day-to-day running of football clubs and the way the governing bodies operate.

He played a significant role in the restructuring of both the Champions League and the UEFA Cup over the past 15 years.

"Naturally I am delighted at my appointment, " said Ogilvie. "Hearts is a great club with a proud tradition. It was clear to me that Hearts is a club in the ascendancy and I will endeavour to build on the progress that has been made in recent times.

"I am relishing this new challenge and look forward to continuing my good relationship with Rangers and all the other SPL clubs through my new role."

Roman Romanov said: "This is an excellent appointment for Hearts. I am very happy that Campbell has agreed to join us, as it is clear he shares our ambition and belief.

"We can learn much from his professional experience both domestically and in Europe. He is a worthy addition to the club and we know he will contribute significantly to making Hearts a truly great club."