Lorgat to take over as new ICC CEO

Haroon Lorgat of South Africa has been appointed as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as he will replace current CEO, Malcolm Speed in the month of July following the ICC Annual Conference.

According to an ICC statement, the Recruitment Committee – made up of ICC President Ray Mali, President-Elect David Morgan, ICC Vice-President Sharad Pawar and ICC Director Creagh O’Connor collectively agreed to the appointment of Lorgat and made its recommendation to the ICC Board.

The ICC Board confirmed Lorgat’s appointment following a meeting between the candidate and David Morgan in Pretoria on Wednesday.

Commenting on Lorgat’s appointment, ICC President, Mali said, “I am delighted Haroon will assume the role of the next Chief Executive Officer for the ICC.”

“I have worked alongside him for a decade in South African cricket and I have seen first-hand what a great team player he is and that is something that will serve both him and the game extremely well in the years to come,” Mali added.

“His background in cricket, business and administration is ideally suited to the role and I am sure he will do an outstanding job in leading our global game in the right direction,” Mali opined.

President-Elect David Morgan says, “I am absolutely delighted Haroon has accepted our offer to become ICC Chief Executive Officer.

“Haroon has the ideal skill-set…we have got the right man to help forge an exciting future for the game,” Morgan added.

Lorgat will be only the third CEO in the ICC’s 99-year history. The first person to occupy the role was David Richards, who held the post from 1993 to 2001.

Commenting on his appointment as ICC CEO, Lorgat said: “I am grateful to the ICC for appointing me as its new CEO and look forward to an exciting and rewarding journey in a game I have truly loved from a very young age.”

“I am delighted to be appointed to the role and am really excited by the opportunity to contribute my energy, skills and passion at the highest level,” adding

“I am under no illusion about the challenges that await me but those challenges are also opportunities and I cannot wait to start work at the highest level in such a great game.”

Lorgat, a chartered accountant by profession, is presently an executive director of Kapela Investments Holdings, an investment company with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Lorgat served as a national selector of South Africa from 2001 to 2003 and then chaired that panel from 2004 to 2007. He played first-class cricket for Eastern Province and Transvaal as a left-hand batsman and right-arm medium-pacer.