Rachel Lewis Becomes Essex's 1st Woman Chair in 150 Years

Rachel Lewis has become the first woman to serve as Chair of the Board of Essex County Cricket Club in its 150-year history, a major achievement for women's leadership in sports governance. Rachel, who formerly played volleyball in the Olympics, and has a long history as a sports administrator replaces Jason Gallian, who retired as chair at the end of last week after considering his retirement option.

Rachel' hiring marks another significant milestone in the push for more gender representation in sports leadership roles, reflecting the growing influx of women into high-ranking positions in professional sports. After three years as Chair of Essex Cricket in the Community, where she contributed to the development of grassroots cricket projects, increased community involvement and encouraged more people to take part in sport, she has been moved to the higher level.

Rachel has previous experience of elite competition and high-performance environments as he represented Great Britain at the Olympics in volleyball. With her leadership journey and sports expertise, she is well-equipped to lead Essex Cricket into a new era of strategic growth and reinvention.

Key Highlights

• Rachel Lewis becomes Essex’s first female board chair in history
• She brings Olympic experience and proven community leadership expertise.
• She aims to strengthen governance and future growth initiatives.

Rachel becomes the club’s fifth chair in as many years, taking over during a significant phase for Essex Cricket. The organization is progressing with the redevelopment of its home ground while both its men’s and women’s teams continue to compete at the highest levels of domestic cricket. Her appointment is expected to provide stability and long-term strategic direction as the club navigates these major initiatives. After her elevation, Rachel stated that her excitement about taking the historic organization into the next phase.

“This club has a proud heritage and I am looking forward to taking us to a crucial new phase of development as we redevelop our ground and both our teams reach their highest level of performance”.

Her vision will build on the club's legacy, will be innovative, it will be sustainable in terms of growth, and it will be forward-looking and serve the interests of players, supporters and the wider cricket community.

The previous Chair, Jason Gallian, will serve as a board member during the transition as Chair, having, as he did, stepped down after careful consideration. He will be continuing his support of Rachel as she starts her role and will be on the board as part of the club's priorities.

Rachel' appointment is seen as another positive sign of the increasing presence of women in sports governance and is a welcome appointment. More women are now in boardroom and executive leadership roles in the global sporting landscape to help define the strategy, reinforce governance guidelines and develop sporting environments that are more inclusive.

In the future, Rachel will play a crucial role in Essex Cricket's governance and development, contributing to the long-term strategy for the club and its future growth, while also helping to ensure that the club is competitive in all areas, on and off the pitch. Her appointment is a historic occasion not just for Essex Cricket, but for the sporting industry as a whole, for women in leadership, for women in sports administration and for women in sport.