Dr Sarah Fane OBE - Director
Sarah Fane studied Medicine at Bristol University. As a medical student and doctor, she travelled extensively in Pakistan and Afghanistan supporting health for women and children during both the Soviet-Afghan War in the eighties and under the Taliban regime in 2001.
These visits and the people she met inspired her to set up a charity, Afghan Connection, in 2002. Over 18 years, the charity supported some 500,000 children with Health, Education and Cricket in Afghanistan, building and renovating 130 schools and training more than 1,000 teachers.
In partnership with MCC, alongside the meteoric rise of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team, Afghan Connection delivered cricket projects to more than 150,000 young people. It built 110 pitches in schools and disability centres and provided coaching to teachers and young people across the war-torn country.
As a result of her work to promote and nurture the cricketing scene in Afghanistan, Sarah was made an Honorary Life Member of MCC in 2012. She received an OBE in 2013, in recognition for her work in Afghanistan.
Reece Bird - National Hub Manager
Reece Bird joined the MCC Foundation in August 2014 as the MCCF National Cricket Hub Manager. Reece brings a wealth of cricketing knowledge to the Foundation from his previous ten years' experience as County Cricket Development Manager for Yorkshire Cricket.
In his current role, he oversees the Hub programmes across the UK, ensuring high-quality coaching and effective programme management. Reece is an active ECB Tutor, ECB Level 3 Head coach & Pathways lead coach who has a passion to develop players and new coaches. He also sits on the MCC Youth sub-committee.
Suse Harrison - Finance Director
Suse Harrison joined the MCC Foundation in April 2020. She spent the first nine years of her career at Lloyd’s of London, as an Assistant Underwriter specialising in US medical and legal malpractice reinsurance. She then took up an opportunity to race a yacht around the world in the BT Global Challenge. On her return in 1997 she helped set up the luxury ski chalet business Descent International, being fully responsible for the financial side of the business which grew to a turnover of £3m.
Following some time at home raising her children she returned to work in 2016, managing finance first at a biochemical firm and then at Afghan Connection, a charity which supported Education and Cricket in Afghanistan.
Angus Berry - Head of Operations
Angus joined the MCC Foundation in April 2022. He graduated with a BA in History (including archival research at the Lord's library) from the University of Sussex in 2014 and followed this with a master’s degree from the University of St Andrews in 2015. During this time, Angus founded an international charity, Connecting Clubs International, which works to develop the next generation of cricketers in Nepal whilst tackling harmful gender norms such as child marriage and gender-based violence. Reaching more than 5,000 children since its inception, Angus looks forward to scaling the next phase of the project through MCCF and its partners.
Angus has worked in Global Health and international consultancy with experience working across low and middle-income countries. His experience includes project managing, health research programmes in Southern Africa and securing multi-million-pound contracts with UKAid, USAID, WHO, World Bank, and other multilateral funders. Most recently he has been developing global health partnerships at the NHS with a focus on health system strengthening.
Angus is a keen sportsman and enjoys running and playing golf on a regular basis. During the summer months he can be found toiling away with his left arm spin for his local club, the Buccaneers.
James Bailey - Head of Communications
James Bailey started his career working as a Ski Instructor in Lake Tahoe, California, before returning to the UK to study Drama at the University of Exeter. After graduating with a BA in 2012, he went onto work partly in the Education sector as a LAMDA Public Speaking Coach, and partly in the Film & TV industry as an Actor and Star Wars Creature Performer.
James joined the MCC Foundation in September 2021 following two years as Digital Marketing Coordinator with Stephen Browning Associates. His highlight so far has been travelling to Lebanon with the MCC to work behind the camera, producing a short film on the lives of the young Syrian refugees of Alsama Project to whom the Foundation provides support.
James has fundraised for various cancer charities and children’s trusts over the years through sporting initiatives, including rowing 93 miles along the River Thames with two of his old school friends. He enjoys cycling and playing tennis.
Izzy Gurney - Operations Coordinator
Izzy Gurney completed a MSc in International Development at the University of Bristol shortly before joining the MCC Foundation. Prior to that, she studied BSc Geography (Human) at Cardiff University and was President of Cardiff University Ladies Cricket Club.
Izzy is an avid cricket player and ECB Level 2 coach. She spends her spare time in the summer playing in both men’s and women’s sides, coaching for the Buckinghamshire County Cricket Board and for her club. Izzy is an influential Committee member of her club where she established a women and girls’ set up and organises events such as six-a-side tournaments and Awards Evenings.
Over the past six years, Izzy has fundraised thousands of pounds for sport-for-development NGOs and firmly believes in the power of sport, particularly cricket, to influence positive social change.
Jess Stevens - Fundraiser
Jess Stevens started her career working as an Intern for Afghan Connection where she was introduced to many different aspects of running a charity, including Operations and Fundraising. From there she took on a role at Tony Blair Associates, co-ordinating Project Operations and assisting in the set up and running of overseas projects. It was in this role that Jess realised her passion for International Development, and four years later she became Philanthropy Manager at War Child. Jess worked collaboratively with high-net-worth individuals, trusts and foundations, corporate partners, and the Music industry.
In 2019 Jess took on a new challenge at Shelter as Senior Philanthropy Manager for Development - a role that was dedicated to setting up a new Principal Gifts programme.
Jess currently lives in South Devon with her husband and one-year-old daughter. She enjoys all things outdoors, especially by the sea.
Phillip Hodson - Chairman
Phillip studied at Downing College, Cambridge and played cricket for the University. He has also played for Yorkshire CCC, and represented MCC in over 300 matches. Phillip was President of MCC in 2011/12 and is currently President of Scarborough CC. He was CEO of Oval Insurance Group from 2003 to 2012 and still has interests in the property and financial services sector.
Matthew Kirkby - Treasurer
Matthew studied at Pembroke College, Oxford where he captained the college cricket side. He is a qualified lawyer who spent most of the last 25 years in the banking industry predominantly in Asia. Matthew currently sits on a number of company boards. In the Not for Profit sector, he has been involved for the last ten years in programmes aimed at increasing access to Universities from applicants from lower socioeconomic and minority backgrounds.
Charlotte Appleyard
Charlotte Appleyard is Director of Development & Business Innovation at the Royal Academy of Arts. She previously worked at Outset Contemporary Art Fund, and in the curatorial departments at The National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
In 2012 she published "Corporate Art Collections: A Handbook" a history and survey of corporate collections. She served as a trustee of Turner Contemporary and the ICA and currently sits on the advisory board of the Centre for Entrepreneurs and the Evening Standard London Recovery Board. She is a graduate of Oxford University, the Courtauld Institute and Harvard Business School.
Varun Chandra
Varun Chandra is the global managing partner of Hakluyt, which advises leaders of the world’s largest companies and investment firms on the opportunities and risks facing their businesses.
Prior to joining Hakluyt, Varun read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Magdalen College Oxford, trained at Lehman Brothers, and went on to help build a regulated advisory firm for former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, where he was responsible for transactions typically involving sovereign wealth and emerging markets businesses. He has also co-founded a merchant bank with a private family investment company; advised a UK foreign secretary on business and economic issues; written for various political publications; and invested in a number of early-stage companies.
In addition to his work with the MCC Foundation, Varun sits on the board of Sesame Workshop, the world’s leading early learning media platform. He previously chaired the associate board of The Opportunity Network in New York, was a trustee of Afghan Connection, and completed a five-year term as a governor of an inner-city London primary school. He was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper, sat on the steering committee of the Milken Institute’s Young Leaders’ Circle, and was an inaugural fellow of the Forward Institute.
Clare Connor CBE
Clare is a former England cricket captain who retired from playing for England in 2006 with over 100 international caps and having led the team for 6 years. At the age of 30, she was awarded the OBE after leading England to a first Ashes win in 42 years. She was then awarded the CBE for services to women’s sport in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.
Clare is now Managing Director of Women’s Cricket at the England & Wales Cricket Board, driving a period of significant change and growth for the women’s game. She has also been Chair of the International Cricket Council’s Women’s Cricket Committee since 2011.
Clare has enjoyed a dynamic career outside cricket. For 7 years, she combined playing for England whilst teaching English at Brighton College and heading up the school’s PR & Marketing operations. Clare has also worked in the cricket media, presenting for Channel 4 Cricket, summarising for Test Match Special, writing a column in The Observer and as a guest on Sky Sport’s coverage of international cricket.
In October 2021, Clare will become the first female President of the MCC in its 233-year history.
Mehmooda Duke MBE
Mehmooda is the founder and CEO of Moosa – Duke Solicitors, specialising in medical negligence claims.
In May 2019, she became Chair of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, making her the first female in English Cricket to Chair a First Class County. She was also the first Asian female in the 155-year history of Leicestershire Law Society to be President.
Mehmooda is the founder and Chair of ‘Leading Ladies’, a membership organisation made up of professional and non - professional women of all generations. The aim is to inspire, mentor, coach and support one another to ‘dream big and fly high’.
Mehmooda was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List 2019 for services to the Legal Profession and female entrepreneurship.
Tony Elgood
Tony studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge where he coxed for the university and captained the college cricket side. He is the current MCC Treasurer, having previously been treasurer of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. Prior to his retirement in 2009, Tony was with PricewaterhouseCoopers where he was a tax partner for 21 years. He has been a member of MCC since 1972 and has held various positions in the charity sector over the last 30 years.
Matthew Fleming
Matthew has been an enthusiastic member of MCC since 2004. Prior to that he played cricket for Kent between 1990 and 2002 Captaining them for 4 years, and representing England 11 times between 1997 and 1998. He Chaired the Professional Cricketers Association 1996-2003.
As a member of the MCC he has been on both the Main and Cricket Committees, Chairing the latter and was the Club’s President in 2017. He was the MCC’s nominated Director of ECB between 2009-2016. Away from Cricket he is a Partner in Stonehage Fleming, a multi-family office, where he leads the Family Governance and Succession Practise, supporting families as they develop and implement intergenerational strategies.
He is married with three cricket-mad daughters, lives in Norfolk where he is a season ticket holder at Norwich City FC and a galanthophile. He has been a Director of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, a Trustee of the PF Charitable Trust and held various other external positions.
Rick Johnson
Rick studied at the University of London. Having played cricket for Surrey at most age groups, at university he was elected a playing member of MCC and toured with the Club to Cayman Islands and Belize. A serial tourist, he has organised and participated on numerous tours. He has been chairman of two cricket clubs and over the last four years has pioneered a community approach to cricket development at Cranleigh Cricket Club. His other passions include serving on the committee of the Arabs Cricket Club and the governing body of Cranleigh School.
Dr Samir Pathak
Samir was educated at Hymers College in Hull. He subsequently attended Liverpool Medical School. He undertook his medical training in Liverpool, Bristol and Leeds and is now a Consultant Pancreatic Surgeon at St James's University Hospital in Leeds
Samir has captained his University, played for England Universities in 2004 and is currently a member of the MCC Cricket Committee.
Daniel Peltz OBE
Daniel Peltz is CEO of London Freeholds Ltd following a career in property and asset management with both GUS and British Land. He is an Honorary Fellow of both King's College and Birkbeck College. He sits on the King's Campaign Board and is the co-lead on the King's Mental Health Initiative. He also sits on the Estates Committees of both King's and Birkbeck Colleges. He is Chairman of Technion UK and is a Trustee and Treasurer of The Anna Freud Centre. He is also a Trustee of Warburg Institute's Charitable Trust, The National Gallery Trust Foundation, The Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Oxford University, The Institute of Jewish Studies at UCL and The City of London School Bursary Trust. He is currently a panellist on the Education Panel of The Wolfson Foundation, and sits on the Estates and Arts & Library Committees of the MCC. In 2015, he was awarded the OBE for Philanthropic and Charitable services.
MCC Foundation is proud to be supported by:
Mike Atherton OBE
Mike Brearley OBE
Stephen Fry
Mike Gatting OBE
Michael Holding
Roger Knight OBE
Claire Taylor MBE
Archie Kalyana - Media Advisor
As MCCF's Media Advisor, Archie helps us share the stories of the young people around the world whose lives have been transformed through cricket.
Archie has 25 years of media production experience and is the Diversity Producer at BBC Sport Cricket. She is passionate about diversity in cricket and is using her influence and reach to change the landscape of sports broadcasting. Last year she was appointed as a Special Advisor on International Affairs to the Yuvraj Singh Foundation and is a trustee for Street Child United.
In 2019 she also won the Asian Women of Achievement of Award in the Sport category, and is an advocate for women in the industry.
Tameena Hussain - Cricket Advisor
Tameena has a background in Technology and has been in Sport Administration since 2012. She is passionate about women's cricket and, as leader of EDI for Berkshire Cricket Foundation, cares deeply about diversity within the game. She is a Trustee at Get Berkshire Active and has supported MCCF's various programmes over the years.
Tameena has been recognised at the Muslim News Awards and locally for her services to community. She is a regular radio guest across the BBC and in April 2022 helped to facilitate the first Ramadan Iftar in the Long Room at Lord's.
James Geffen - Cricket Advisor
James is a member of the MCC Membership & General Purposes Committee and is also Chair of Guildford Cricket Club. He has volunteered with The Prince’s Trust for many years, working with a similar target audience as MCCF. He passionately believes that cricket has a unique ability to teach and provide numerous life skills - team work, resilience, health, leadership, strategic & tactical planning - and fun!
As the game evolves to broaden its appeal and offer opportunities to those who may have felt marginalised by cricket in the past, James works closely with MCC to improve its membership nomination process - making it easier for those who don’t know other Members to join the Club.
James' work with Guildford CC has helped to create significant growth in the diversity of the Club's playing membership, particularly within the girls’ game.
Sangy Theivendra - Cricket Advisor
Sangy’s background is in commercial business and following the success of founding and leading Women & Girls’ cricket at Harrow Cricket Club, works at the England & Wales Cricket board in the participation & growth department, encouraging more females to take up opportunities to get involved in the game.
Sangy is a qualified cricket coach in the Middlesex girls county age group pathway, is a positive role model and continues to mentor those on a coaching journey. Having experience serving in various sporting boards, Sangy passionately advocates for volunteering and fair opportunities for all.
Matthew Dixon - Cricket Advisor
Matt has always loved being involved in cricket as a player, captain and Committee Member and is keen for as many young players to enjoy the experiences he has had in the game.
He has extensive experience as a player with 30 years of 1st XI club cricket including 12 years as captain of Sheffield Collegiate CC plus many years on club & league committees. Matt has also been a Playing Member of MCC for over 20 years, as well as a qualified Match Manager touring to Finland & Estonia and Brazil & Chile. He has captained a tour to Greece and many Out Match tours to the Channel Islands, Menorca & Switzerland.
In 2022, Matt completed 8 years of service on the Men’s Players & Fixtures sub-committee, the last 7 of which were as Chair. This sub-committee looks after all Out Matches, Tours & the Playing Members. He intends to use his extensive knowledge of the MCC playing department to endeavour to link the Foundation’s Hubs and encourage strong Hub players to join MCC when they exit the programme.
Arfan Akram - Cricket Advisor
Arfan has been actively involved with cricket for most of his life, first picking up a bat as a 4-year old. In his professional job, Arfan works for Essex Cricket overseeing cricket in the East London area. Having previously worked at ECB, ICC and MCC, he now supports various community-empowered programmes that promote diversity in the game, including two MCC Foundation Hubs in East London.
Arfan Akram began his association with MCC as a 13-year-old, winning the the Club's under-13s winter player of the year. He is on the MCC’s Elite Players List, and has been on three overseas tours (once as captain) and has played over 100 games for the Club. He has also been a volunteer head coach of an MCC Schools team.
Arfan was appointed to the MCC Main Committee and Cricket Committee in 2022 having served on the Players & Fixtures sub-committee from 2013-16.
Arfan is also a Trustee at Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation. He is passionate in breaking boundaries and opening up access to the game regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or background.
Shruti Saujani - Cricket Advisor
Shruti Saujani is the Engagement Lead for Equality Diversity and Inclusion at the ECB. She delivers a key part of ECB’s EDI action plan specifically focusing on communities. Previously she has led the successful dream Big Desi Women programme to inspire 2,000 South Asian female into volunteering roles.
Shruti’s lifelong passion is to create equal opportunities in the game and she dedicated her dissertation to understanding the barriers that women from South Asian backgrounds face in sport. Her dedication for a more equal playing ground in cricket has seen her appear on the BBC, Sky and a number of other media titles. Shruti has grown and developed her leadership skills in a number of commercial roles prior to her role at the ECB and has also been recognised for bringing culture change in the automotive industry.
Will Gaffney
Will is a grassroots and village cricketer and has also enjoyed the opportunity to play at higher levels including a tour to Sri Lanka. It was here that he saw first-hand the enormous impact that cricket can have on the lives of those less fortunate than himself.
In 2020, aged 15, he founded Bat For a Chance, a young and exciting cricket charity which provides kit to underprivileged players across the world, and helps to grow the game more widely. Bat For a Chance has a mission to bring smiles to players, offering an escape from hardship through the game. Bat for a Chance has already provided kit for cricketers in Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, and is supporting the MCC Foundation’s projects in the UK and overseas.
Cordelia Griffith
Cordelia is a professional cricketer for the Sunrisers, Middlesex CCC, and the Manchester Originals, and is completing the Legal Practice Course with the University of Law.
She started her cricketing journey at Essex CCC, making her debut for the Women’s 1st XI at the age of 13 and taking on the captaincy in 2016.
She has also been involved in the England Women’s Pathway, having first been selected for the U17s tour to South Africa aged 13. She represented and captained the England U19s squad and also played for the England Women’s Senior Academy for a number of years, including international fixtures against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In 2016, she made the decision to withdraw from the England pathway to focus on her legal studies.
Mumtaz Habib
Mumtaz Habib is a British Diplomat at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office focused on the Middle East and South East Asia.
Mumtaz came to the UK at the age of 14 as refugee from Afghanistan. Shortly after his arrival he learned to play cricket at Harrow Town Cricket Club. He was awarded a scholarship to Harrow School and then went on to study at Durham University where he represented Durham University Cricket Club for three years. Mumtaz was the first Afghan to represent Harrow School at Lord’s against Eton and the second Afghan to play First Class cricket.
Mumtaz is passionate about girls’ education in Afghanistan and has been involved with the charities Afghan Connection and the Afghan Appeal Fund.
Georgie Heath
A self-professed badger, Georgie is a journalist, commentator and presenter who is hugely passionate about growing the game globally for women and girls. She is co-host of Women's Cricket Chat podcast and has already commentated at FairBreak Invitational, the ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup and a range of domestic cricket matches as well as reporting for TalkSPORT and Times Radio.
Georgie first fell in love with the game as a kid on the (very cold) beaches of North Yorkshire with her Mum and even has two dogs named after cricketers (Tuffers and Morkel), so her dedication to the game is unquestionable.
She freelance writes and reports for numerous outlets and is ready to front MCCF video campaigns, helping to share the incredible stories of the Foundation's banaeficiaries.
In 2022, she and 2017 World Cup winner Fran Wilson won BBC's Celebrity Pointless. Her charity of choice was one of MCCF's delivery partners, Cricket Without Boundaries.
Harry Savill
Harry is a Senior Account Manager at M&C Saatchi World Services, working on behavioural change and social impact campaigns in East Africa and the Middle East. With a keen interest in sports of all kinds, Harry is also a freelance sportswriter and has had by-lines in The Guardian, The Times and The Independent. Harry recently took part in a global UN consultation which aimed at tackling violent extremism through sport, and has previously acted as a communications adviser for the charity, Afghan Connection. As a Young Ambassador, Harry advises the Foundation on its communications strategy.
Ajmal Shahzad
Ajmal is an ex-cricketing professional who has played cricket for over 15 years. He made his First-Class debut in 2004 as the first British-born Asian to have ever represented Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
During his playing career, he represented England across all formats notably featuring in the 2010-11 Ashes series, the 2010 T20 World Cup and the 2011 50-Over World Cup in India. Domestically, he spent the majority of his career playing for Yorkshire County Cricket Club before moving on to play for Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Sussex County Cricket Clubs.
After stepping away from playing cricket in 2016, he embarked on a coaching career. In 2019, he was appointed Head Coach of MCC, and he now coaches at Derbyshire CCC.
We are most grateful to all the companies, trusts and individuals listed below (and those who wish to remain anonymous) who currently support us, and to those who have given generously in the past.
Without them, we could not use cricket to transform and improve people’s lives.
Alan and Irene Halsall
Aldridge Foundation
Charles Stanley
David Peck
Dominic Pemberton
Donald Pearse
Eric M Young and Family
Felix Byam Shaw Foundation
Gary Parekh
Geoff Ball
Geoffrey de Jager
Gerald Corbett
GKL Leasing
Glamorgan Followers Club
I.R.K. Maclaren Settlements
In Memory of Gerald and Pamela Williams
In Memory of Michael Melluish
Jan Wulf van Alkemade
Jonathan Orders
Mark Powell
Oliver Stocken
Paul Knox
Peter Bennett-Jones
Peter Stormonth Darling
Philip Bassett
Phillip Hodson
Reigate Priory C.C.
Rick and Melissa Johnson
Simon Dyson
The Cricket Society Trust
The Derek Raphael Charitable Trust
The Dowley Charitable Trust
The Garfield Weston Foundation
The Holbeck Trust
The John Swire Charitable Trust
The Loveday Charitable Trust
We would also like to extend our gratitude to the following schools and venues who support the Hubs programme by offering us free, or significantly discounted, facility hire:
Aldridge Cricket Academy
Bradford Grammar School
The Cotswold School
Dauntsey’s
Dulwich College
Eastbourne College
Fettes College
Framlingham College
Hymers College
Magdalene College School
Mount Kelly Boarding and Day School
Norwich School
Nottingham High School
Oundle School
Sibford School
St Dunstan’s College