Beth Barrett-Wild appointed as Sussex Cricket CEO

Following an extensive and highly-competitive recruitment process, Sussex Cricket is delighted to name Beth Barrett-Wild as the Club’s next permanent CEO.

Barrett-Wild joins Sussex Cricket following a 13-year career at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), where she held several senior leadership positions and played a pivotal role in the transformation of women’s cricket.

A highly experienced sports executive, Barrett-Wild recently served as Tournament Director of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, leading the delivery of the biggest and most successful women’s cricket event in history.

Earlier in her distinguished career, as Director of the Women’s Professional Game, Barrett-Wild spearheaded the growth and professionalisation of domestic women’s cricket across England and Wales, building on her previous role as Head of The Hundred Women’s Competition, where she was a founding member of the senior leadership team behind the development and launch of the competition in 2021.

Upon the appointment of Beth Barrett-Wild as the club’s permanent CEO, Sussex Cricket Chair, Ed Warner said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see a person of Beth’s calibre and experience join as the CEO of Sussex Cricket. Her achievements in the game have propelled women’s cricket to an entirely new level, and I’m excited at the prospect of working closely with Beth to ensure a bright future at Sussex Cricket.

The standard of applicants we had for this role was very high, paving the way for an extremely competitive process, but Beth’s talent and vibrancy shone through to highlight her as the exceptional candidate, and the best person to lead Sussex Cricket into an exciting new chapter of this club’s long, storied history.”

Barrett-Wild began her career in cricket at Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), before joining the ECB in 2013 as Media Manager for the England Women’s team. A lifelong fan and player, Beth grew up playing county cricket for Essex and was the first girl selected for the Essex Cricket Academy when it launched in 2001.

In recognition of her contribution to sport, Barrett-Wild was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Essex in 2026. Beth’s dedication to, and achievements within cricket have also seen her named among The Telegraph’s 50 Most Influential Women in Sport in both 2024 and 2025, and selected for the Leaders in Sport, Leaders Under 40, Class of 2024.

Having played a central part in the recruitment process to appoint Barrett-Wild, Sussex Cricket President, Sir Rod Aldridge added: “I am delighted to welcome Beth to Sussex Cricket. She brings exceptional experience, vision and a proven record of transforming the game. At Sussex, we have a proud history but also an ambitious outlook on what the club can achieve. Sussex has a leading position on developing young talent, widening access to the game and Beth’s unrivalled experience of transforming the women’s game, very much plays to this agenda. I look forward to working with Beth to realise those ambitions.”

Ahead of becoming the tenth permanent Chief Executive in Sussex Cricket’s history, whilst continuing to blaze a trail in sport as the first female CEO at the club, Beth Barrett-Wild said: “I am incredibly proud to be joining Sussex Cricket, a club that combines a rich history and deep passion for the game with a bright future full of opportunity.

“Ever since I first picked up a bat as a little girl at my local village club, I have loved the sense of family, community and belonging that being part of a cricket club creates. That sense of belonging is a big part of who I am and what I believe in, so to now have the opportunity to lead and help shape the future of the oldest professional cricket club in the world is something eight-year-old Beth could only have dreamt of.

“While Sussex has faced a challenging period off the field in recent times, a huge amount of work has gone into putting the club on a more stable footing over the last 10 months. I am really looking forward to working closely with Ed Warner and the Board, the executive team, players, Members and fans to build on that work and take Sussex forward with energy and ambition.”

Alex Paterson will continue his duties as Acting CEO until Barrett-Wild officially starts her role on 1st January, 2027.