Andrew Jones, the former Cricket Australia head of strategy, has been named as the new chief executive of Cricket New South Wales. Jones will take up the role vacated by David Gilbert, who spent 11 years in the position before resigning in January amid instability at the organisation and calls for his sacking from Brett Lee.
Jones, 40, is president of the University of New South Wales Cricket Club and a former player for the team, and he joined Cricket Australia in 2010 having consulted for them since 2004. At Cricket Australia he managed the Argus review and the development of the Strategy For Australian Cricket 2011-15 project.
“I am excited and humbled in equal measure to be asked to lead Cricket New South Wales,” Jones said. “I was never a first-class cricketer, but I am aiming to provide the first-class leadership the fans, players, past players, volunteers, country colleagues, staff and board in this state expect.
“When New South Wales cricket is strong, Australian cricket is strong and it is my aim to return this state to its rightful position as a leader of Australian cricket. To achieve that we will need to harness the great depth of experience and passion we have throughout the state. With everyone working together I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead.”
Jones has previously served as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and Centaurus Partners. John Warn, the Cricket New South wales chairman, said Jones was a good fit for the role.
“The board is extremely happy to have found a candidate with the all-round credentials of Andrew Jones,” Warn said. “When we started the process of seeking a new chief executive, the absolute priority was finding the individual who had the right balance of business and cricketing backgrounds.
“Andrew is someone who understands business, has consulted to CNSW at various times and has worked closely with the board of Cricket Australia in his previous role. He is also connected at grass-roots level, as the current president of the University of New South Wales Cricket Club, and has a tremendous passion for the game of cricket and a strong sense of the history and traditions of cricket within this state. I am thrilled that he is going to be joining us.”
