Cricket Australia names Kevin Roberts as new CEO

Cricket Australia has appointed its lead negotiator in last year’s bitter pay dispute as James Sutherland’s replacement.

Kevin Roberts, Cricket Australia’s new chief executive officer. Picture: Getty Images

Cricket Australia has shrugged off a series of recent disasters and sent a clear signal that it is business as usual by appointing former board member and current chief operating officer Kevin Roberts as replacement for departing chief executive James Sutherland.

A former first class cricketer with experience at Adidas and 2XU, Roberts is best known within the game as the man who led the failed pay dispute on behalf of board chairman David Peever.

Peever claimed the organisation would search globally to replace Sutherland who had been in the job for 17 years but stated he would prefer an internal candidate.

Rumours of Roberts appointment sparked disappointment among players and others associated with the game who believe cricket needed to reset after the MOU debacle and the recent scandal in South Africa.

It comes despite the board commissioning a full-scale review of its operations.

That culture review is finished but yet to be released. CA say it will be Roberts blueprint for future operations.

Roberts beat a short list of candidates that included WACA CEO Christina Matthews, former NSW CEO and Westfield executive John Warn and John Harnden who was head of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, the Australian Grand Prix and the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Roberts, a former board member, has played a senior role in the executive, including “people and culture” since standing down as a director in recent years.

“It’s also true that the game and Cricket Australia have faced some difficult times recently, but we will bounce back, just as our organisation has overcome challenges on and off the field many times in its proud history,” he said in statement released Wednesday morning.

“Under my leadership, we will be deeply committed to providing the best experiences of cricket to everyone who watches the game or plays the game, and we will work closely with our broadcasters and commercial partners to deliver on that commitment,” Roberts concluded.

Peever defended his decision in the same release.

“Our position within the Australian community and as a representative on the global stage is key to our success,” the chairman said.

“Kevin is the best candidate for our organisation and has been given a clear mandate by the Board to deliver our strategy to ensure cricket maintains a strong and sustainable foothold in sport locally and globally.

“Given the complexity of the role and the increasing challenges facing our sport, the Board concluded that an internal candidate with first-hand experience driving strategic transformation and engagement at CA would be best placed to help ensure continued success for Australian cricket.

“Kevin’s vast corporate leadership experience within Australia and overseas, his leadership of the development and implementation of our strategy, his demonstrated ability to lead change through the One Team transformation, and his deep pedigree in cricket both on and off the field, outline why Kevin was identified as the best candidate from a very strong list.

“Kevin will continue to focus on the implementation of our multimillion-dollar investment in community cricket, along with leading our commitment to create the best participation experiences to be the leading sport for women and girls.

“It is a great opportunity for a new Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation through its next exciting phase,” Peever concluded.

Australian Cricketers Association president Greg Dyer wished Roberts well and urged him to be “open, fair and transparent” to regain players’ trust.

“The on and off field events of the past 18 months have created an expectation that a number of things will need to change,” Dyer said.

“The findings and recommendations of CA’s Longstaff and McCosker reviews will hopefully identify the changes that need to occur.

“Just as the players have been held accountable, we also expect that CA will be fully accountable in taking the difficult steps required to restore the reputation of the game.”