Sussex have appointed Beth Barrett-Wild as the first female chief executive in the county’s history, and proposed former England bowler Holly Colvin as one of five new non-executive directors.

Barrett-Wild will join Sussex on 1 January 2027 after 13 years at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), where her roles included director of the women’s professional game, head of The Hundred’s women’s competition and tournament director of this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup.

“Her achievements in the game have propelled women’s cricket to an entirely new level,” said Sussex chair Ed Warner.

“I’m excited at the prospect of working closely with Beth to ensure a bright future at Sussex Cricket.”

Colvin, 37, played for Sussex from 2005 to 2015, winning two women’s County Championships, and hit the winning run for England in the 2009 World Cup final.

She is now set to join the county’s board alongside another former Sussex Women’s player, Alison Bruce.

Entrepreneur and cricket coach Paul Farris, business owner and former Sussex Young Cricketers’ vice-captain Mark Jeffries, and BBC journalist and Sussex member Callum May have also been proposed.

All five will join the board for three-year terms once their positions are ratified at the club’s annual general meeting next March.