Cricket Scotland appoints two new board members to tackle racism in the sport

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Cricket Scotland announced the appointment of two new independent Non-Executive Directors last week as it continues to rebuild following the recent independent review into racism in the sport that forced the entire board to quit.

Governance expert Anne-Marie Garner and Equality, Diversity and inclusion (EDI) specialist Ajit Trivedi are highly-respected figures in their fields and have been appointed with immediate effect following a robust and diverse recruitment process. They are the first appointments to a new Board that will be tasked with addressing the challenges currently facing Cricket Scotland and taking the sport forward in the future. 

Anne-Marie Garner has more than 20 years’ experience as general counsel, including more than a decade at FTSE 250 company Johnson Matthey. She is a vastly experienced Board member of both profit and not-for-profit bodies and is currently Vice President of Corporate Strategy at the Therme Group and an Independent Director of GB Hockey. A lifelong volunteer in grassroots sport, including cricket, Anne-Marie is a passionate equalities advocate focusing on the promotion of opportunities for women and girls in sport.  

Ajit Trivedi is a highly-respected EDI specialist with more than 20 years’ experience working in the Third Sector, Local Government and Higher Education. He is currently the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Dundee and possesses a wide understanding of EDI strategy and cultural change projects with vast experience of fostering and developing effective community relations having previously worked in various capacities at Tayside Racial Equality Council.

Chair of Cricket Scotland, Anjan Luthra, said, “The appointments of Anne-Marie and Ajit are hugely important. They will play a significant role in the rebuilding exercise at Cricket Scotland and bring with them extensive experience that will help us to move forward with confidence. The review into racism in our sport was clear and we need to start properly addressing the issues we face.

“But this is only the start of a longer-term process. Their appointments represent a major step forward in terms of creating a skilled and truly diverse Board that will forge a new future for our sport. Board diversity is an absolute priority for everyone at Cricket Scotland and we will be continuing the Board recruitment process with pace and diligence over the coming weeks and months.”

Cricket Scotland has also confirmed that it is widening the search for new Board members and is fully committed to continuing to recruit from diverse and under-represented communities.

Anne-Marie Garner said, “I firmly believe that Scottish cricket can become the most welcoming and diverse sport in Scotland and I am looking forward to playing a role in ensuring we achieve that goal. This has been a challenging time for the sport but we have a huge opportunity put that right and we must now follow through and tackle the problems we face including racism. We need to learn from the past and build a brighter future where everyone can be proud of being in an amazing cricketing community. Together we will achieve this.”

Ajit Trivedi said, “For Scottish cricket to flourish we must break down barriers and increase opportunities for people to participate, regardless of their background. Cricket should be a sport for everyone and I am determined to make sure that we learn from the recent challenges facing the sport. “There can be no place for racism in Scottish cricket. The next few months will be key to rebuilding the sport and I am confident that if we all pull together, we change the game for the better.”