Birmingham City's parent company has appointed Carson Yeung's brother-in-law as its new chief executive and managing director.
Birmingham International Holdings Limited (BIHL) has named Ma Shui Cheong with immediate effect.
It is the latest step in a power battle among Birmingham's Hong Kong based owners which is not expected to have any impact on the Championship club.
There were concerns former Blues owner Yeung was acting as a shadow director from prison, where he is serving six years for money laundering.
But putting Ma in place is likely to strengthen the board -- who have flagged up a suspected misappropriation of funds to police as they try to be as transparent as possible -- against Yeung as the pair are understood to be at loggerheads.
The appointment of the 53-year-old is also believed to help the position of Panos Pavlakis, who is running the club in England, as de facto MD.
A statement confirmed: "The board of directors of Birmingham International Holdings Limited, together with its subsidiaries announces that Mr. Ma Shui Cheong (Mr. Ma), the vice chairman and an executive director of the company, was appointed as the chief executive officer and managing director of the company with effect from Jan. 27, 2015."
The Football League is believed to be comfortable with the situation at the club, who travel to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.