Sussex Cricket Make Historic Move by Appointing Beth Barrett-Wild as First Female Chief Executive

Sussex Cricket has appointed Beth Barrett-Wild as its new chief executive, making her the first woman to hold the position in the county’s history.

She is scheduled to begin her role on 1 January 2027, bringing 13 years of experience at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

During her time at the ECB, Barrett-Wild served as director of the women’s professional game, led The Hundred’s women’s competition and worked as tournament director for this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup.

Sussex chair Ed Warner praised her contribution to cricket, saying her achievements had helped take women’s cricket to a new level.

He also expressed his enthusiasm about working with her to secure the county’s future.

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Former England bowler Holly Colvin has been proposed as one of five new non-executive directors joining the Sussex board.

The 37-year-old represented Sussex between 2005 and 2015, during which she won two Women’s County Championships.

She was also part of the England team that won the 2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup, scoring the winning run in the final.

Colvin is expected to join the board alongside Alison Bruce, another former player for Sussex Women.

The remaining proposed appointments include entrepreneur and cricket coach Paul Farris, business owner Mark Jeffries and BBC journalist Callum May.

Jeffries previously served as vice-captain of Sussex Young Cricketers, while May is a member of the county.

The five nominees are expected to serve three-year terms on the board, subject to approval at Sussex Cricket’s annual general meeting in March next year.