Former WHITE FERNS captain and International Cricket Council Hall of Famer Debbie Hockley has been elected the first female president in New Zealand Cricket’s 122-year history.

Ms Hockley, nominated for the position by Canterbury Cricket and ratified by members at New Zealand Cricket’s Annual Meeting in Christchurch today, will serve as the organisation’s president for the next three years.



She replaces outgoing president Stephen Boock.



The NZC Annual Meeting also elected a new director in Ingrid Cronin-Knight.



Ms Cronin-Knight is a former WHITE FERNS representative with experience in grass-roots cricket governance.

Ingrid Cronin-Knight. Image:Photosport



Currently serving an internship on the board of Watercare NZ, she has broad management experience in digital technology, marketing, strategy and change management, and is a founding member of Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA).



Ms Cronin-Knight heads the SME and Accountants business for MYOB in New Zealand.



She fills the vacancy created by the departure of Stuart Heal, who steps down after eight years on the board, including the past three as chairman.



At the first meeting of the new board, held directly after the conclusion of the AGM, director Greg Barclay was elected the NZC chairman.



Mr Barclay is an Auckland-based commercial lawyer and an experienced company director, holding board positions with various New Zealand and Australian companies.



A director of NZC since 2012, he was also a director of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and a former board member and chairman of the Northern Districts Cricket Association.



Over the past two years, Mr Barclay has acted as NZC’s appointee to the board of the ICC.



The annual meeting heard that NZC returned an operating loss of -$2.16m for the 2015-16 year – significantly better the forecast loss of -$5m, due mainly to increased gate-takings and increased distributions from the ICC.



A copy of NZC’s 2015-16 annual report can be found here.