England World Cup winner Ebony Rainford-Brent joins the ECB as a non-executive director
England World Cup winner Ebony Rainford-Brent joins the ECB as a non-executive director… with the broadcaster and campaigner hailed as a ‘pioneer’ who can help cricket become a ‘truly inclusive sport’
- Rainford-Brent, 39, has become a prominent broadcaster and campaigner
- She has created opportunities in cricket for players from black communities
- Pete Ackerley, president of the British American Football Association, also participates
Ebony Rainford-Brent has been appointed as a non-executive director of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Rainford-Brent, who was the first black woman to play for England when she debuted in 2001 and was part of the 50 and 20-over World Cup victories eight years later, is taking on a three-year term.
Since his retirement, the 39-year-old has become a prominent broadcaster and campaigner and has been the driving force behind the ACE program – an increasingly influential initiative that creates opportunities in cricket for aspiring players from black communities.
She will be joined by Pete Ackerley, a former head of development at the ECB and current president of the British American Football Association. The duo will be ratified at this week’s AGM.
Their appointment completes a string of new faces at board level, with outgoing Glamorgan chairman Gareth Williams, Cricket Wales chairman Jennifer Owen Adams, Conservative peer Baroness Zahida Manzoor and PGA European Tour director Penny Avis previously announced.
Ebony Rainford-Brent (above) has been appointed as a non-executive director of the ECB
Rainford-Brent was the first black woman to play for England when she made her debut in 2001
Sir Andrew Strauss has already announced his departure as strategic adviser, while chief operating officer David Mahoney will leave in September.
ECB President Richard Thompson said: “Ebony is a unique talent, a trailblazer who was a winner on the field and achieved so much off it.
“Her ACE program has already made a huge impact in creating opportunities for youth from Black communities, and she shares my impatience to make further progress in creating a truly inclusive sport.
‘Pete also brings with him a vast amount of cricketing experience, along with an invaluable insight into other sports. He is steeped in the recreational game and will be another great asset to the board.”