The EFL have issued clearance for the change of control process which will see Liquid Investments Inc. increase their shareholding in the Imps and Ron Fowler become chairman.
Ron, who has been in Lincoln over the past few days to consult with senior staff at the club, will officially take up his new role on Wednesday 4 February. Clive Nates will become co-vice chairman, 10 years to the day since he initially joined the board of directors.
Clive reflects on the past decade in an open letter to fans. He said: "I am delighted to hand over the chairmanship of this special club to Ron, who has a proven track record of business acumen and delivering sporting success, which he will now bring to bear for the Imps. This change helps secure the long-term future of the club for many years to come.
"It has been an honour to serve as chairman, and I will remain involved as co-vice chairman alongside Jay Wright. I look forward to working with Ron and the rest of the board as we enter an exciting new period on and off the pitch. In Ron, we have someone who truly knows what we are all about. Since joining the investment group in April 2024, Ron has played his part in driving us forward and, like many of us before him, has fallen in love with the club, its fans and what we stand for."
Ron thanked Clive for his stewardship of the club. He said: "You can't overstate his role. Clive was the person involved when the team went from the National League up into League Two and then up into League One, and has since competed very effectively at that level.
"It takes a very strong individual to do that. Clive's not going anywhere - he's going to be very involved and will continue to help drive the team as we go forward."
In a wide-ranging interview with Imps+ to mark his new role, Ron outlined his desire to build on the foundations already in place.
He said: "Lincoln City is really owned by the people of Lincoln, and if we can be a steward of that trust that's what it's all about. I feel a strong responsibility to run the team in an appropriate manner, but actually I believe our role is to provide corporate governance and guidance to the management team.
"And the good news for Lincoln City is we have a management team here that is outstanding, and I think that's going to make it easy. We're responsible for making sure that team can compete as well as it should, and we have the people in place in management that will ensure that happens.
"I thank the fans for their support over the years, and I hope they continue to support it and maybe even give us more in these final games of the season as we're competing very effectively at the top of the table.
"If you like what's happened over the past several years, we're going to continue that and try to add to it. We hope to give the people who manage it day to day, whether it's the business or the player side, the resources to continue to be competitive going forward.
“It's a unique situation where everything is in place so you don't have to step in and try to change everything. All we have to do is provide some additional funding and make sure we don't screw it up.”