Photo Credit: ICC
- Twenty-five future female leaders in cricket will form part of the 2023 Future Leaders Programme
The third edition of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme begins on 18 May 2023 and comprises a record-breaking intake of 25 future female leaders in cricket.
The mentees, who have increased from 20 in 2022, will be paired with senior leaders from across global cricket to work on a one-on-one basis over a six-month period and will receive training and support in their areas of expertise in dealing with real-time and real-world issues and projects. The Programme will also include two full online group workshops and a debrief session with Programme Guide, Belinda Clark AO as well as smaller mentee peer working group sessions.
The Future Leaders Programme is a mentorship programme for future female leaders in the sport and forms part of the ICC’s long-term commitment to accelerate the growth of women’s cricket and women in the game. It falls under the 100% Cricket campaign, the objective of which is to promote gender equity, as well as to empower women and young girls through cricket.
The Programme’s aim is to address the low percentage of women in leadership positions in global cricket and to promote and support emerging female talent in the cricket landscape from coaching, officiating, administration, and broadcast, to marketing, digital and technology, journalism, and events.
Mentor, commentator and journalist, Alison Mitchell said: “Women are underrepresented in leadership positions in cricket, and the game will only be stronger for having a greater breadth of perspective amongst its leaders. Leadership comes in many forms and at many levels however, it is important that the programme draws upon both male and female mentors from across the game, to offer guidance to women on their journey. It is a unique programme in that it is truly multi-national and cross-cultural. I have been excited to learn who my mentee is, and I’m looking forward to what will no doubt be an enriching experience for both of us.
“Lots of people helped me at different times along my career path as a journalist and then commentator at a time when there were no other female commentators to look up to, but I never had a mentor as such. Looking back, I wish I did. I’m now keen to offer what guidance I can to encourage my mentee down her own path.”
ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said: “We have had an overwhelming response to the first two editions of the Future Leaders Programme and are delighted by the continued growth in interest for year three.
“We look forward to another group of talented female leaders in our sport emerging with more tools and knowledge to apply to their respective areas, and hopefully resulting in them spearheading the change we want to see in cricket.
“The programme has been well-supported by our Members and we are grateful to our mentors who have volunteered their time and knowledge for this important assignment.
“Congratulations to our latest intake of Future Leaders, we wish them all a productive learning experience.”
ICC 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme 2023 intake and mentors
| Mentee | Mentee Job Title | Mentor | Mentor Job Title |
| Maureen Kuchocha | Board Director & Sport Lecturer – Zimbabwe Cricket | Lisa O’Keefe | Secretary General – International Working Group & Sport |
| Lwiza Nabulwala | Development of Women’s Cricket – Uganda Cricket | Ayesha Ashhar | General Manager – International Women’s Cricket Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) |
| Shahnaaz Pailwan | Commercial Officer – Cricket South Africa | Chandni Dhundia | Assistant General Manager Marketing, Global Wine Delivery at Pernod Ricard – India |
| Richa Sharma | Marketing Manager – Oman Cricket | Kass Naidoo | International Cricket Commentator & Founder of GSport4girls – South Africa |
| Emily Reynolds | Senior Manager Marketing & Fan Development – Major League Cricket | Dhiraj Malhotra | CEO Delhi Capitals – India |
| Nadine Sammy | Manager of Sport Science & Medicine – Cricket West Indies | Gurjit Bhogal | Senior Women’s Team Physician – England Cricket |
| Srishti Raha | Live events supervisor – Maple Leaf Sport & Entertainment | Sharda Ugra | Independent Cricket Journalist – India |
| Lucy Preston | Head of Finance & Administration – Cricket Scotland | Samantha Douglas | Chief Financial Officer, Cricket Australia |
| Stacey Towers | Senior Partnership Lead – Cricket Australia | Pankaj Khimji | Chair – Oman Cricket |
| Anita Shetty | Finance Business Partner – Cricket Australia | William Glenwright | General Manager, Development – ICC |
| Lauren Walker | Head of Finance – New Zealand Cricket | Warren Deutrom | CEO, Cricket Ireland |
| Cate Ryan | Cricket Operations and Match Officials Manager – South Australian Cricket Association | Andrew Cornish | CEO, Middlesex Cricket |
| Alice Fisher | System Operations – Hawk Eye Innovations | Rachel Verner | Research & Insights Driver- Pulselive |
| Aarti Priya | Women’s Cricket Committee member – Luxembourg Cricket Federation | Beth Barrett-Wild | Director – Women’s Professional Game England Cricket Board |
| Aideen McGuinness | Performance Operations Executive – Cricket Ireland | Hilton Moreeng | Head Coach South Africa Women’s |
| Nahida Khan | Head Coach – Balochistan Women’s Cricket | Mickey Arthur | Head Coach Derbyshire CCC |
| Annesha Ghosh | Multimedia Journalist – India | Natalie Germanos | Sports Broadcaster – South Africa |
| Meesha Imran | Sports Presenter – Pakistan | Alison Mitchell | Broadcast Journalist & Commentator – United Kingdom |
| Amna Tariq | Kuwait Women’s Captain | Mignon du Preez | Former South Africa captain and player |
| Moumita Chakraborty | Match Referee – Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) | Kim Cotton | Match Official, ICC Development Panel |
| Prabhjyot Kaur Chhabra | Vice President, Business Strategy – Zee Entertainment | Wasim Khan | General Manager Cricket – ICC |
| Rupha Ramani | Head of Content – Gujrat Titans | David White | CEO, New Zealand Cricket |
| Areeba Khalil | Senior Manager Legal & Secretary to the board – Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) | Olivia Thornton | CEO, ACT Cricket – Australia |
| Nazifa Amiri | Afghanistan women’s team player | Snehal Pradhan | Women’s Cricket Manager – ICC |
| Aditi Parikh | Assistant Manager, Partnerships Commercial & Sponsorship – ICC | Andrea Nelson | CEO, Gymnastics New Zealand |
About 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme
The 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme is open for all female future leaders of cricket to apply and will be matched with a mentor to support their development growth.
The role of a mentor is to unlock their mentee’s potential and help them to be at their best. This could include being a confidential sounding-board, providing advice, guidance, and connections to reach their potential.
The philosophy of the 100% Cricket – Future Leaders Programme is to be participant led, with the ICC acting in support to match the mentees with suitable mentors to provide guidelines and evaluation frameworks for the participants and opportunities to network and interact.
Name of Author: ICC
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global governing body for cricket, founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference. Renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, it became the ICC in 1987. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, the ICC has 108 member nations.
