Cricket Australia has appointed Nick Hockley, chief executive of the Twenty20 World Cup, to replace Kevin Roberts as its new boss.
CA chairman Earl Eddings announced the shake-up on Tuesday, despite Roberts having 18 months to run on his contract.
Hockley, an Englishman who leads the T20 World Cup organising committee, is understood to have been appointed as CA’s interim chief while the organisation hunts for a permanent new chief.
“Whilst it has been a testing time, it’s an absolute privilege to be asked to take this role,” Hockley said.
Roberts is the third CEO of a major Australian sporting code to exit during the coronavirus crisis, after Todd Greenberg (NRL) and Raelene Castle (Rugby Australia).
Both Greenberg and Castle departed in the past two months.
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CA’s board has grown increasingly frustrated by Roberts’ handling of the financial fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roberts was given the top job in October 2018 after James Sutherland’s 17-year tenure, beating a field that featured former Cricket NSW chairman John Warn, CA director John Harnden and WACA chief executive Christina Matthews.
Warn, Harnden and Matthews would all be highly-rated candidates should they wish to apply again.
Former Hyundai executive Scott Grant, appointed CA’s chief operating officer in January 2019, has been serving as Roberts’ deputy.
Grant and Eddings had been shouldering a big workload in recent months, featuring prominently in CA’s talks with the players’ association and state associations.
The governing body had sought to slash costs by 25 per cent across the board, including state funding, but NSW and Queensland refused to accept the cuts.
CA staff, of which the vast majority have been stood down for the rest of the financial year, are desperate for some clarity and certainty regarding their future.
Roberts was expected to reveal a round of redundancies on Wednesday but it is now unclear whether the extent and timeline of those cuts will change.
Winning back disgruntled staff is one of many challenges faced by Eddings.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has already lodged a formal dispute regarding CA’s revenue forecasts, while TV broadcasters are expected to try to renegotiate the $1.2 billion deal that will soon enter its third year.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Someone suggested that they may not have been eligible if revenue hadn’t gone down 30% over the 12 months to March (?). Which suggests there was a lot of panicking about worst case scenarios.
Nick
Roar Guru
Yeah, but it's optics. The exec would also be on job keeper. Telling the rank and file to go down to 20% while you pocket 80% is precisely how to lose the support of the staff. Permanently.
Harry Selassie
Roar Rookie
Does Hockley's appointment signify the T20 World Cup will not be going ahead as scheduled?
jameswm
Roar Guru
Exactly. And not just jobs for the boys.
jameswm
Roar Guru
They didn't get job keeper?
JGK
Roar Guru
The US Constitution was drafted so as not to allow a British born President. CA should follow suit.
Paul
Roar Guru
I've no issue with CA having plenty of staff, as long as they're all being totally productive and there's no duplication of services/effort with similar positions in the States. This not-for-profit business has to show each position is 100% needed to foster the game of cricket in Australia, at what ever level. If all of the 200 can, bring 'em all back. If they can't streamline as you suggest.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
A streamlined heirarchy is our best outcome.
Nick
Roar Guru
Both things are essential, but they will take time. Reducing exec pay can be done in the next 5 minutes.
Paul
Roar Guru
The clear learning for the next CA CEO is to make sure he has a good working relationship with the States & the Players Assoc'n and if he says he's going to do something, like provide an accurate financial picture, he does it.
Paul
Roar Guru
I'd have thought the first order of business was to work out exactly what is CA's financial position. I'm assuming it's nowhere near as dire as Roberts had claimed. The second order of business is to bring back as many of those 200 stood down employees on their normal salaries as possible, while at the same time restoring monies to the State Associations so they can re-hire people they were forced to lay off.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
Good riddance to a bad pox.
Nick
Roar Guru
First order of business: Reduce exec pay to 20% to bring the rank and file staff back onside.