Harry Chathli in line to change into new everlasting chair at Yorkshire

Yorkshire’s lengthy seek for a successor to their former chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, might be at an finish, following the nomination of Harry Chathli as a non-executive director of the membership, with a view to him succeeding the present interim chair, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Chathli, whose daughter, Kira, performs for South East Stars and was a part of the Oval Invincibles workforce that gained the 2022 Hundred, is described in a Yorkshire press launch as a “highly regarded business leader, and an experienced international capital markets expert, with a 25-year track record of advising global companies, organisations and government agencies”.

His nomination is topic to ratification from membership members at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), on a date to be confirmed.

“I am delighted and truly privileged to have the Board’s support as their nominee to become the Chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club,” Chathli stated. “This is one of the most iconic clubs in the cricketing world and, as with all English cricket fans, Headingley has always held a special place in my heart.

“I’ve seen the optimistic steps taken over the previous 12 months by YCCC and I consider Yorkshire has turned the nook – I’ve heard this from the enterprise folks I’ve spoken to over the previous few months and from well-known worldwide cricketers. It’s due to this that I jumped on the likelihood to get totally concerned with this prestigious membership.

“The Club has been through a difficult period,” he added. “I would like to bring the focus back to cricket and excellence on the pitch, as the club continues to learn from the many issues it has faced. I believe cricket excellence is built on two things: inclusivity and financial stability. YCCC needs to represent the Yorkshire of today and tap into all the extraordinary talent at its disposal and we need to have the proper funding to do this.

“We have lots of work to do, however I’ve been impressed by the dedication and resilience the membership has proven and am able to work with the Board and administration to do the whole lot I can to get the membership again to the place it must be.”

Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, added: “Harry was the excellent candidate in a really robust subject and his ardour for the sport and imaginative and prescient for an inclusive future stood out to the entire board.

“His corporate and commercial experience will be vitally important as we look to secure the future health of the club, at the same time as reaffirming our commitment to deliver positive changes in line with the values and standards we have established as a board. We are determined to deliver long-term success and to build on the work we have done collectively to address the many challenges we have faced together to make Yorkshire County Cricket Club a thriving and welcoming place for all. We look forward to Harry having the opportunity to meet with Members ahead of the EGM and can’t wait to welcome him to the Yorkshire family.”

Baroness Grey-Thompson described Chathli as “the ideal person to continue to drive the club’s recovery,” and can proceed in her function as a Non-Executive Director following the transition to the brand new chair.