Trudy Lindblade has vowed to “stamp out racism in our sport” after being appointed Cricket Scotland chief executive.
After concluding her work as CEO of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, which took place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August this year, Lindblade will begin her new role early in 2024.
Pete Fitzboydon, the current interim chief executive of Cricket Scotland, will remain in place until the new incumbent, who has previously worked within Australian and international cricket, takes office.
Cricket Scotland has been striving to repair its image following a damaging racism crisis which engulfed the sport, and Lindblade is intent on continuing to lead the fight in her new role.
“It is a privilege to be appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Cricket Scotland,” she said. “I am excited to be returning to the sport of cricket and very much look forward to getting started in the role early in the new year.
“I am aware of the challenges that Cricket Scotland is facing and there is still much work to do.
“There has been positive progress since the release of the Changing the Boundaries report, and I am committed to leading Cricket Scotland’s effort to stamp out racism in our sport and ensure that we embody the spirit of community, belonging and equal respect.
“I’m looking forward to working with my new team and the cricketing community to build a bright and prosperous future for cricket in Scotland, using the new strategy and forthcoming increased ICC funding as a catalyst for delivering change and creating new opportunities to grow the game at every level.”
Fitzboydon, who took the reins on a temporary basis earlier this year after previous incumbent Gordon Arthur stepped down, believes Lindblade is the ideal candidate to lead Scottish cricket forward.
“We are delighted to have secured a candidate as outstanding as Trudy to lead Cricket Scotland from early next year,” he said. “By then, we will have a new ambitious strategy in place and increased funding secured for the next four years, and Trudy is the ideal candidate to lead this new, exciting era for Scottish cricket.
“While we are excited about the future, we are very conscious of the ongoing challenges that Cricket Scotland and our sport is going through.
“While much progress has been made, there is a long way to go to ensure our sport becomes truly inclusive and anti-racist. I have committed to staying in my interim CEO role to ensure a seamless handover to Trudy to continue this work.
“Trudy was the standout candidate in a very strong field. The delivery of this summer’s impressive UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland is testament to her abilities, which combined with her previous experience in cricket made her the ideal person to drive Cricket Scotland forward.”
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