The Board of Cricket Scotland has appointed an Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the governing body through the publication of the independent review into racism in Scottish cricket and develop a strategy to address the issues raised and progress the recommendations within the report.
Gordon Arthur, former Director of Marketing and Communications at Glasgow 2014, will take up the post from Monday, 18 July following a targeted recruitment approach to quickly identify a suitable candidate with the necessary skills and experience at this crucial time for the sport of cricket in Scotland.
Mr Arthur was one of a team of six senior executive officers that planned and delivered the biggest sporting event to come to Scotland, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. He was instrumental in developing the strategic approach of the organisation, its mission, vision, values, brand, governance, corporate objectives and strategic priorities. He had lead responsibility for the day-to-day partnership relationships with the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Commonwealth Games Scotland, the BBC, UNICEF and other key Games partners and the Board hope these skills will be valuable in bringing the cricket community together in the months ahead.
Mr Arthur has served as a Non-Executive Director at UK Athletics, one of the largest Olympic sport governing bodies. He was also appointed by Scottish Ministers as a non-executive Director of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, was previously a Member of the UNICEF UK Scottish Advisory Board, Interim CEO of Scottish Financial Enterprise and Director of Group Corporate Affairs for Standard Life.
Mr Arthur stepped away from Executive roles in recent years due to personal, family commitments and is looking forward to taking up this important short-term appointment at a crucial time for the sport of cricket in Scotland.
Plans to appoint a permanent Chief Executive Officer will be restarted later in the year. The current Interim CEO, John Lunn, who was brought in from sportscotland, will continue to provide input and support to the organisation in a more limited capacity as he returns to his role at the national agency for sport as Sports Development Head.
Interim Chair of Cricket Scotland, Sue Strachan, said: “It continues to be a very challenging time for cricket in Scotland and the Board had to work quickly to put short-term, immediate support in place to lead the organisation. Gordon has all of the necessary skills and brings a wealth of sporting and Board-level experience with him to support us at this crucial time. He will carry on the excellent work of our existing Interim CEO John Lunn, who has worked tirelessly to start rebuilding trust in the organisation and ensure it continues to function. We would like to thank John and sportscotland for their continued support as we work towards and beyond publication of the independent review into racism in Scottish cricket.
“I am looking forward to working with Gordon as we look to the publication of the independent review into racism in Scottish cricket and effectively and efficiently implementing the required changes and recommendations to improve our sport for all.”
Interim Chief Executive of Cricket Scotland, Gordon Arthur, said: “There are several challenges facing the sport that I will be looking to work with the team at Cricket Scotland to continue to address. I’m aware there have been several changes to senior leadership in recent months and it’s my intention to ensure the organisation pushes forward until a permanent CEO appointment is made. The findings from the independent review into racism in Scottish cricket will have a significant impact on the future direction of the sport and ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the organisation will be our top priority and central to my approach as Interim CEO. I look forward to working with everyone across the cricketing community to help build towards a fully inclusive environment, with greater transparency, accountability and a much-improved future for the sport.”
