The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) governing body has named Clare Connor as its new deputy chief executive (CEO) and managing director for England women.
Connor, who played for England’s national women’s team between 1995 and 2005 before joining the ECB in 2007, was confirmed in those new roles on Friday (March 17).
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She had been filling in as the body’s chief executive on an interim basis during the second half of last year and takes up her new permanent role of deputy with immediate effect.
Richard Gould began work as the cricketing body’s full-time CEO in February, having been announced in that position last October.
Connor has essentially headed up women’s cricket operations at the ECB for the last 16 years.
The ECB has said her role will cover working alongside Gould on various leadership responsibilities, as well as an “initial focus on the game-wide response to the [upcoming] Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report to make sure we move the game forwards in a positive and progressive manner.”
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By GlobalDataConnor said: “It was an enormous honor to have served as Interim CEO of ECB, and I’m delighted that in this new role, I can continue to make a difference across the game as we strive to become a more inclusive sport. Cricket's response to the ICEC report will be a vital moment for our game and we must use it to change for the better.”
The ICEC report, commissioned in late 2021 during the height of the immediate reaction to the Azeem Rafiq racism revelations, is expected to be published in the very near future.
Gould added: “I am delighted that Clare has accepted the role of deputy CEO and managing director for England women. She did an excellent job as interim CEO … The new role will allow her to continue to lead and influence across the game, allowing us all to benefit from her experience and knowledge.”
The particular position of managing director for women’s cricket at the ECB will not be replaced. Instead, Beth Barrett-Wild will become director for the women’s professional game, expanding a current remit looking after the women’s side of The Hundred short-format competition.
The ECB has a relatively new chair, as well as bringing Gould on board and a new role for Connor.
Richard Thompson, previously of Surrey County Cricket Club, became the body’s chair in September last year and will serve for five years.
In late January, meanwhile, the ECB’s former chief executive Tom Harrison was appointed to lead European rugby union’s Six Nations tournament.
Harrison stepped down from the top ECB job in June 2022.
