Bruce Carnegie-Brown has today taken office as the new Club Chairman of MCC following his approval by Members at the 2021 Annual General Meeting in May this year. He will be the sixth MCC Chairman.
Carnegie-Brown, who is currently Chairman of Lloyd’s of London and Vice Chairman of Santander Banking Group succeeds Gerald Corbett, whose maximum six years in office, ended on 30 September 2021.
As Chairman of MCC, he will work closely with Chief Executive & Secretary Guy Lavender to ensure the committee’s effective operation. In the short term, Carnegie-Brown will help to steer the Club through a changing governance structure and the aftermath of the global pandemic, with a focus on working with the MCC Committee to develop and deliver its mid to long-term objectives and vision for the future.
“It is a privilege to be MCC’s next Chairman and to increase my involvement with such a special Club"
On starting his appointment, Carnegie-Brown said: “It is a privilege to be MCC’s next Chairman and to increase my involvement with such a special Club.
"I look forward to working with the Club’s Members to ensure that the Home of Cricket continues to provide a world class venue and warm welcome to players and visitors from around the country and internationally. On behalf of the Club’s membership,
"I would like to express my gratitude to my predecessor, Gerald Corbett who did an outstanding job of leading the Club through the pandemic, while also overseeing the construction of the fabulous new Compton and Edrich stands, which opened this summer”.
Carnegie-Brown has been a Full Member of MCC since 1997 and joined the Club’s Finance committee in October 2019. He brings a wealth of executive and board-level experience to the role and has previously held senior positions at 3i Group plc, Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc, J.P. Morgan & Company and Bank of America. He is currently Chairman of Lloyd’s of London, Vice Chairman and Lead Independent Director of Banco Santander SA and a Non-Executive Director of Santander UK plc.
Concurrently, Clare Connor CBE will take office as the new MCC President on Friday 1 October 2021.
The former England captain will become the first female President in the Club’s 234-year history. Her nomination was announced by predecessor Kumar Sangakkara at the 2020 Annual General Meeting. Clare takes over from the former Sri Lanka captain this year, after his term was extended to two years because of Covid-19.
Connor, who is currently the ECB’s Managing Director of Women’s Cricket, was made an Honorary Life Member of MCC in 2009.
On her appointment, Connor said: “I am truly honoured to be MCC President and would like to thank Kumar Sangakkara for putting his faith in me to deliver this enormously important role, for the good of the sport I have loved all my life.
"I will try to bring my range of experiences from the dressing room and the boardroom to support, influence and work alongside the Club’s leadership and committees over the next 12 months. I am really looking forward to being part of the MCC team”.
Connor made her England debut in 1995 at the age of 19, and took over the captaincy in 2000, leading England at Lord’s against Australia a year later. An all-rounder who bowled left-arm spin, Connor led England women to their first Ashes triumph in 42 years, overseeing a 1-0 series win in 2005.
The Ashes win was the culmination of her six-year stint as captain of her country, retiring from the game shortly thereafter. Connor is passionate about developing the women’s and girls’ game and as the ECB’s Managing Director of Women’s Cricket she oversaw the introduction of central contracts for England women’s players in 2014, the ICC World Cup win in front of a full house at Lord’s in 2017 and the introduction of professional contracts for female domestic cricketers in 2020.
This summer, women’s cricket took a stratospheric leap forwards reaching hundreds of thousands of new fans through the launch of The Hundred, the new short-ball format for women and men.
Aside from her ECB duties, Connor has been Chair of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee since 2011. She has also served as a director on the board of Sussex Cricket and Sport England.
As with all non-executive roles at MCC, the position of Club Chairman and President are not remunerated.
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