Former ECB leader govt Tom Harrison named as new head of Six International locations Rugby

Harrison, 51, stepped down from his cricket function in Might 2022 after a arguable seven-year tenure that was once outlined by way of his driving-through of the Hundred, the ECB’s new city-based white-ball pageant that has confirmed particularly divisive within the first two years of its life.

As a former govt at IMG and ESPN-Famous person, Harrison’s maximum notable fulfillment was once the securing of a profitable £1.1 billion rights care for Sky Sports activities and the BBC in 2017, a trebling of the ECB’s earlier broadcast association. He was once additionally on the helm all through England’s International Cup wins in each the ladies’s and males’s 50-over International Cups in 2017 and 2019.

Then again, his time within the function ended amid controversy, with the ECB attracting grievance for its reaction to the game’s racism scandal, following Azeem Rafiq’s testimony about his remedy at Yorkshire. He additionally attracted private grievance for accepting his proportion of a £2.1 million bonus pot for senior ECB executives, three hundred and sixty five days after overseeing 62 redundancies because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Harrison will absorb his new function in the beginning of March – halfway via this yr’s Six International locations – with the present incumbent, Ben Morel, set for a brand new industrial place in French soccer. He’ll come upon a recreation in a identical state of flux to English cricket, with participation at grassroots degree an ongoing fear, in particular in mild of the arguable new rules on the subject of take on peak.

“The Six International locations Rugby Championships stand along essentially the most well-known and valuable competitions in recreation,” Harrison stated. “They’re wealthy in historical past and feature a long-lasting attraction with fanatics in every single place the arena. It is a large privilege to enroll in the organisation and play an element within the persevered construction of this celebrated logo and to serve rugby union extra broadly.

“There’s a actual momentum throughout the organisation, and I’m in reality taking a look ahead to running with the broader staff, participating with each and every union and federation, and supporting the enviable roster of broadcast and industrial companions.”

Harrison’s temporary will come with managing the association between Six International locations Rugby and CVC Capital Companions, the non-public funding corporate that paid £365 million for a 14.3% proportion within the event in 2021. The problem of the event’s growth could also be at the time table, amid reported hobby from South Africa and Georgia.

“Tom joins Six International locations Rugby at a massively thrilling time for the organisation, the game, and its fanatics,” Ronan Dunne, Six International locations Rugby chairman, stated. “He brings with him a wealth of enjoy this is going to be instrumental in serving to meet the ambitions and targets of the industry, and I’m taking a look ahead to running with him to succeed in those.”