Foundation Announces New Chair of Trustees

Sussex Cricket Foundation Announces Appointment of New Chair of Trustees

Sussex Cricket Foundation (SCF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Shelagh Legrave CBE as its new Chair of Trustees, succeeding Ish Jalal, whose term concludes later this month.

Shelagh joined the SCF Board earlier this summer and brings more than three decades of executive leadership and extensive board experience across education, financial services, the charity sector, and the armed forces.

She will formally begin her three-year term as Chair on 24 November 2025 and will also attend Sussex Cricket Limited Board meetings.

Shelagh currently serves as the Further Education (FE) Commissioner, a role to which she was appointed by the Secretary of State in 2021. She is responsible for overseeing the quality and governance of 221 colleges across England, serving 1.6 million students with a combined annual budget of £6.6 billion.

Prior to this, Shelagh spent over a decade as Chief Executive of Chichester College Group, where she led three successful mergers, supported major organisational turnaround, and guided the institution to an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating. 

Shelagh has also contributed extensively to the charity and community sectors. She is a senior trustee at Stonepillow, a homelessness charity where she previously served as Chair for 10 years and continues to chair its Finance & General Purposes Committee. 

Shelagh has also served as a deputy lieutenant for West Sussex since 2015. Her passion for sport and commitment to widening participation strongly align with the Foundation’s mission.

Speaking on her appointment, Shelagh, said: “Throughout my life, sport has been a passion and one of my earliest memories was watching Test matches with my father.  

“I am privileged and excited to be appointed the chair of the Sussex Cricket Foundation. I can see the opportunities for the Foundation to continue to play a very important role, encouraging participation in cricket in every community.”

Sussex Cricket Chair, Jon Filby, added: “I am very much looking forward to working with Shelagh who has had a distinguished and varied career in the Army, Financial Services and Education.  

“It is excellent news for all of us that she has agreed to serve Sussex Cricket as the Chair of our Foundation.”

To find out more about the Sussex Cricket Foundation, please visit: https://sussexcricket.co.uk/sussex-cricket-foundation