Sussex Cricket confirmed on Tuesday, November 3, that Beth Barrett-Wild has been appointed as the club’s new chief executive, making her the first woman to hold that position in the county’s history. She becomes the tenth permanent chief executive in Sussex Cricket’s history and will begin her role at Hove on January 1, taking over from acting CEO Alex Paterson.
Barrett-Wild arrives with an extensive background in cricket administration. She played county cricket for Essex and began her career with MCC before joining the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2013 as media manager for England Women. Over the years she rose through several senior ECB leadership roles, serving as head of the Women’s Hundred and director of the women’s professional game. In the latter capacity she helped oversee the new three-tier county structure the ECB introduced in 2025. Most recently she served as Tournament Director for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. The University of Essex awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in 2026.
“I am incredibly proud to be joining Sussex Cricket, a club that combines a rich history and deep passion for the game with a bright future full of opportunity. Ever since I first picked up a bat as a little girl at my local village club, I have loved the sense of family, community and belonging that being part of a cricket club creates. That sense of belonging is a big part of who I am and what I believe in, so to now have the opportunity to lead and help shape the future of the oldest professional cricket club in the world is something eight-year-old Beth could only have dreamt of,” Barrett-Wild said in a statement.
“While Sussex has faced a challenging period off the field in recent times, a huge amount of work has gone into putting the club on a more stable footing over the last 10 months. I am really looking forward to working closely with Ed Warner and the board, the executive team, players, members and fans to build on that work and take Sussex forward with energy and ambition,” she added.
What challenges does Barrett-Wild inherit at Sussex?
Barrett-Wild steps into a role that carries considerable administrative weight. Sussex were placed under special measures by the ECB early in 2026 following financial difficulties, a period that brought spending restrictions and significant player movement. England prospect Henry Crocombe and wicketkeeper John Simpson were among those who departed the county during that period. Head coach Paul Farbrace also stepped down, initially moving to a part-time capacity before departing for a director of cricket role at Lancashire last month.
“The standard of applicants we had for this role was very high, paving the way for an extremely competitive process, but Beth’s talent and vibrancy shone through to highlight her as the exceptional candidate, and the best person to lead Sussex Cricket into an exciting new chapter of this club’s long, storied history,” Ed Warner, Sussex chair, welcomed the new chief.
On the field, Sussex showed resilience despite those pressures. The county finished third in County Championship Division One in the 2026 season, a result made more notable by the fact that they carried a 12-point deduction into the campaign. Barrett-Wild will be expected to stabilise the club’s finances and rebuild its off-field structure while sustaining that on-field progress.
Who else is joining the Sussex Cricket board?
Alongside Barrett-Wild’s appointment, Sussex announced five proposed additions to its board as non-executive directors. Holly Colvin and Alison Bruce are among those put forward, joined by Callum May, Mark Jeffries and Paul Farris. All five are proposed for three-year terms and are set to join the board once ratified at the annual general meeting scheduled for March 2027.
