Melbourne/UNI: Nick Hockley, who has been serving as Cricket Australia's interim Chief Executive Officer for almost a year, was on Monday formally appointed to the role by the board.
Hockley, who was appointed as interim CEO in June 2020 after Kevin Roberts's resignation, received the unanimous endorsement of CA's board after a recruitment search during which candidates from Australia and overseas were interviewed.
He was born in the UK and represented England in rugby at student level before pursuing a career in corporate finance that saw him relocate to Australia between 2002 and 2005.
Hockley then returned to the UK to serve as Head of Commercial Negotiations for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics where he worked for six years before he moved back to Sydney with his Australia-born wife.
He also has experience of working in major ICC tournaments and has been part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 local organising committee, head of commercial projects with CA and as general manager, commercial and marketing at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
"As Australia's national sport, cricket is at the heart of our national and cultural identity. I am under no illusion about the importance of cricket to the lives of so many Australians, nor the magnitude and responsibility of this role.
Leading Cricket Australia is the greatest privilege of my working life and I am committed to doing all I can to make a positive contribution to the game and the community," Hockley said in a statement issued by CA.
As an interim CA CEO, Hockley oversaw the conduct of the high-profile tour by India amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides the India tour of Australia, he was also in charge of successfully delivering the domestic competitions in a complex situation brought about by the global health crisis, which badly affected CA’s original cricket calendar.
"Over the past 12 months, I have learnt first-hand about the breadth, scale and importance of the role. My approach has been and will continue to be to bring people across the game together, as I believe this is fundamental to achieving our full potential," he said.
"It has been extremely rewarding to be part of CA, State and Territory Associations and the Australian Cricketers' Association working together like never before over the past 12 months, to overcome the challenges presented by Covid-19 and deliver a summer for the ages.
"I look forward to building on this momentum and playing my role in deepening those relationships further, as well as playing a leading role in growing the game internationally alongside fellow ICC members," he added.
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