Published: Nov 02, 2018, 08:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 02, 2018, 08:33 PM (IST)
The England & Wales Cricket Board has appointed Ian Lovett as its president on Friday. Lovett has earlier served as Middlesex Chairman for nine years between 2007 and 2016 and is also a former ECB deputy chairman before stepping down earlier this year in May. He will take up the role with immediate effect after his nomination was ratified by 41 members of the ECB.
“I am hugely excited to be taking on this new role,” Lovett said. “I am passionate about our aims to grow the game and to do that we need to work collaboratively with everyone involved in the sport at all levels, particularly the army of volunteers upon whom we are so reliant. I will do all that I can to help with that.”
Outside of cricket, Lovett has held many senior roles in banking and finance and is considered a friendly character. However, he will not be an official member of the board and is expected to share some of the workload of Tom Harrison and Colin Graves, the board’s CEO and Chairman.
“Ian is a fantastic choice and we welcome him in to the role of President,” Graves, the ECB chairman, said. “He has a long-held love of the game and a deep knowledge of the value it brings to people, through being a player and volunteer at his local club and high-profile roles he has held at both Middlesex and ECB. Ian has also been a driving force in the governance changes that lead to greater diversity and better decision-making in the governing body.”
