DORSET Cricket have announced major changes to their hierarchy with a new chairperson and five directors joining the club board.

Claire Whitaker CBE has agreed to take on the reins from incumbent chairman Tom Snape, who requested to stand down after five years in the role.

Whitaker is a highly-experienced CEO and non-executive director and has over 25 years of experience at board level.

Currently, Whitaker is the CEO for Southampton Forward who are responsible for placing culture at the heart of Southampton’s future.

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She also has an active interest in Dorset cricket, with her daughter still playing for Dorset Women.

Alongside Whitaker, Dorset welcome Dan Buckley, Patricia Price, Andrea Metcalf, Jon Yeung and Sally Wernick to the board. 

Rhiannon Harris and Claire Tabor are also introduced as board observers.

Buckley joins as director for marketing and brings a wealth of sports marketing experience from his time at both Oxford United and AFC Bournemouth. He is currently the managing director at Ocean View Marketing.

Price is named Dorset’s new director for equality, diversity and inclusion and is well-versed in delivering training organisations wishing to openly demonstrate commitment to their beliefs, values and principles.

Whilst Metcalf is without portfolio, her rounded skills in a number of areas we are strategically working in will help Dorset shape and deliver our work moving forward.

A background in education, human resources and strategic planning will benefit Dorset.

As an experienced non-executive, adviser and investor, Yeung will bring his financial acumen to the board and will take the role of finance director.

He was director at PricewaterhouseCoopers for over 16 years and has a passion in seeing not-for-profit groups be highly successful in what they do.

The fifth new member of the board is Wernick, who will take the seat of director for safeguarding.

Already working in cricket as an active Safeguarding Panel member for the ECB, Wernick will work closer with Dorset’s county safeguarding officer, Vanessa May, to ensure the organisation takes every step to make cricket the safest sport in the county.

Existing members of the board Leanne Fitzmaurice, Angie Pittaway, Sean Walbridge and Katie Azulay remain in position.

Ben Skipworth, Dorset Cricket’s managing director, said: "It is a time of change for cricket and the development of our sport goes much further now than ever before.

“Our club network is strong and the opportunities for women and girls have progressed well over the past four years.

“Junior cricket is being played in all areas of the county and our national programmes numbers have been strong too, which means more people are getting into our sport at a younger age too.

“The new board members were identified and have been selected based on their professional backgrounds. The skills they will bring to the board are key to us driving our game forwards in the grassroots and representative streams.

“The next four years will see us looking to maintain this growth, demonstrate how cricket can benefit all and play our part in making cricket the most inclusive sport in the country."