When the final ball of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is bowled on home soil this summer, it will also mark the end of an era for English cricket administration. Clare Connor, one of the most transformative leaders the sport has known, will step down from her role as ECB Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of England Women, bringing an 18-year journey of change, advocacy and progress to a close.
Connor’s departure comes at a symbolic moment. Women’s cricket in England and Wales is no longer fighting for visibility or survival, it is professional, aspirational and deeply embedded at grassroots and elite levels. Much of that shift carries Connor’s imprint.
When Connor joined the ECB in 2008, women’s cricket operated on the margins. She was the organisation’s only employee dedicated solely to the women’s game. Since then, she has overseen its transformation into a fully professional ecosystem.
Under her leadership, England Women received their first central contracts, domestic women’s cricket adopted professional structures, and pathways were created that allowed young girls to realistically envision a career in the sport. Beyond the elite level, Connor drove a five-year action plan that accelerated participation, making cricket one of the fastest-growing sports for women and girls in the country.
Connor’s impact extended well beyond England. She became the first woman to sit on the ICC Cricket Committee, later chairing the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee—a role she has held for over a decade. Her influence shaped policy, governance and growth strategies for women’s cricket worldwide.
Her contributions have been widely recognised. Over the years, she has been awarded an MBE, OBE and CBE for services to women’s sport, served two terms on the Sport England Board, and broke new ground as the first female President of the MCC in 2021-22.
Within the ECB, Connor also stepped into broader leadership during a period of transition, serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer in 2022-23 before taking on the dual role of Deputy CEO and Managing Director of England Women.
Connor’s administrative career mirrored on-field success. She oversaw England Women’s rise to global prominence, including multiple ICC tournament triumphs and the iconic 2017 Women’s World Cup victory at Lord’s. The professionalisation of the women’s game coincided with record-breaking attendances, notably during the 2023 Women’s Ashes series.
More recently, she played a central role in coordinating the ECB’s response to the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, guiding the sport through a period of reflection and reform.
Before becoming a change-maker off the field, Connor was a trailblazer on it. As England captain, she led the side to a historic Ashes victory in 2005, their first in 42 years. She retired in 2006 with over 100 international appearances, having balanced a decade-long international career with a profession in teaching during an amateur era.
That lived experience shaped her administrative vision. Throughout her career, Connor has emphasised normalising cricket for girls, so that picking up a bat is as instinctive as it is for boys, and professionalism is an expectation rather than a distant dream.
Announcing her decision, Connor described the role as “the job of a lifetime” and acknowledged the difficulty of stepping away. She expressed pride in helping remove barriers and in leaving the women’s game more inclusive, balanced and future-ready than she found it. ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould described her as “one of the most influential figures in cricket,” while ECB Chair Richard Thompson highlighted the lasting legacy she leaves behind a sport fundamentally changed for generations of women and girls.
As the home ICC Women’s T20 World Cup approaches, it promises not only high-stakes cricket but also a fitting farewell to a leader whose vision reshaped the landscape of the game. Clare Connor may be stepping down, but the momentum she built will continue to carry women’s cricket forward long after her departure.
