Photo Credit: Yorkshire CCC
The Yorkshire County Cricket Club Limited (YCCC or Club) is pleased to confirm the appointment of Sanjay Patel and Mitesh Velani to its executive team.
Sanjay is stepping in on an interim basis from September to replace outgoing Chief Executive Officer Stephen Vaughan.
Vaughan said: “I am very proud of what we have achieved here during my tenure.
“Yorkshire Cricket has faced some significant and well documented challenges that needed to be faced head on, and the Club is now in a much better place and ready to continue its journey back to sustainability and success on and off the field.
“It has been a real team effort, and I’d like to thank all of the staff that have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, often in extremely challenging circumstances for their support and dedication.”
Colin Graves, Chair of YCCC, said: “Everyone at the Club wishes Stephen all the best in his future career.
“Stephen has navigated the club through some particularly difficult situations, and he goes with thanks and best wishes from everyone at the club for his energy, commitment and ability to keep things moving forward whilst having so many off-field issues to deal with.”
Sanjay joins the Club following working in an advisor and consultant role in sport, with extensive leadership experience prior to this, having previously held commercial and strategy roles for companies including Diageo and Heineken.
He went on to join the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2015 as Chief Commercial Officer, where he ran the revenue, audience, event, digital and data side of the business.
Under his leadership the ECB doubled its revenues and returned cricket back to the BBC. In 2019, he became Managing Director of The Hundred. Sanjay led the development of The Hundred from inception and delivered the first three years of the tournament. He left the ECB in September 2023 and was working as an advisor and consultant in sport and was appointed to the Board in February 2024.
Patel said: “I am delighted to be joining Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
“The Board have been extremely open with me, sharing their learnings and challenges over the past few years, and importantly their bold and ambitious goals for the future.
“Together as an organisation, we will do the best we can for the Members and supporters aiming to move forward in all areas. I look forward to meeting Members, supporters and people associated with the Club over the next couple of months.”
Mitesh joins the Club as the newly formed Chief Finance and Operations Officer, a role he will officially begin on the 16th September.
Mitesh has extensive experience in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, Sports and Leisure, Technology, Retail and Property sectors.
He has previously held Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer roles in the sporting sector for Saracens RFC – where he successfully raised £23m from the local Council to build a new 100k square foot West Stand in partnership with Middlesex University, added nine Global Partner Clubs, led on the financial aspect of largescale events, and brought transformation and innovation to the operating of the Club during a decade of sustained success both on and off the field.
Since leaving Saracens, Mitesh has held several key Chief Finance Operating roles and also spearheaded the launch of the property development company, Treasure Assets.
Mitesh said: “It’s truly an honour to take up this position with Yorkshire County Cricket Club and there are so many opportunities we can grasp and areas we can work on that will help the Club continue to grow.
“Throughout my career, I have sought out the chance to build new skills and develop. I am looking forward to using everything I have learned to help support Yorkshire at this exciting time.
“Working alongside the Board I am determined to help deliver success at Headingley and produce exceptional results, underpinned by robust commercial foundations and our vision to make Yorkshire Cricket a place for everyone.”
Graves said: “I’m delighted Sanjay and Mitesh has agreed to join us in these vitally important positions.
“Sanjay and Mitesh bring with them a wealth of experience in senior business leadership roles and will bring new vision and a fresh approach to the to the day-to-day running of our business and finance operations.
“The Board looks forward to working with Sanjay and Mitesh collectively we are committed to delivering long-term success that YCCC Members deserve.”
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