The Northern Cricket Union announces the appointment of three Independent Directors to its Board, following a recent recruitment process:

Michael Humphreys, Q.C – Independent Director

Michael Humphreys, Q.C joins the NCU Board with immediate effect and brings significant expertise to the NCU within both legal and governance fields.

Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1994, Michael has extensive experience in the legal profession, with emphasis on Corporate Affairs and Commercial law. Michael was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2011 and he regularly advises directors and shareholders on matters of corporate governance, as well as representing many of Northern Ireland's leading companies in commercial disputes.

Outside of his professional life Michael has also been Chair of the Board of Governors of Methodist College for the last two years.  This role involved overseeing a major review of corporate governance, which is now being implemented.

Michael is looking forward to combining his love for cricket with his professional skills in order to contribute and support the next phase of development for the NCU.

Ross Ellerby – Independent Director

Ross Ellerby joins the NCU Board with immediate effect and brings a wealth of experience in the areas of Strategy Development and Implementation, Marketing and Growth, Company and Corporate Governance, as well as financial responsibilities of running corporate entities.

With over 20 years' experience gained through various Company Director roles in a range of companies in the wider UK and abroad, Ross is a welcome addition to the NCU Board.  In October 2009 Ross set up his own business to deliver Construction Management projects in the Property Development Sector.  Running his own business has provided Ross with a wealth of experience in Corporate Development and Governance.

Ross is looking forward to bringing his extensive experience and skills to the NCU Board of Directors to support the ongoing development of the organisation and in particular supporting the change transition and strategy development the NCU is currently going through.

Rosemary Bryans – Independent Director

Rosemary Bryans joins the NCU Board with immediate effect and brings extensive experience in the area of Human Resources.

With over 18 years' experience as a Strategic Human Resources Professional Rosemary is a significant addition to the NCU Board.  Her extensive experience and expertise cover all aspects of HR including resourcing, employee relations, talent management, performance management, change management, industrial relations and organisational design and workforce planning.

Rosemary is looking forward to bringing her high level of expertise to the NCU Board of Directors to support the wider development of the organisation, in particular the development and increase in employees for the NCU.

The Independent Director appointments will also be joined on the Board by a further Director appointment arising from a vacancy following the NCU AGM in October 2018.

Ken Nixon - Director

Ken Nixon joins the NCU Board with immediate effect and brings a broad range of experience in the legal profession, as well as across many voluntary roles he has held in various sporting bodies.

From 1973-1993 Ken was a Resident Magistrate and District Judge, followed by a role as Deputy County Court Judge up until his retirement in 2017.  With those roles he has gathered extensive experience in the law.  He has also been instrumental in establishing the annual Sport and the Law conference, delivered through a partnership with the NI Sports Forum and the Law Society NI. Ken was also a founding Director of Sports Resolutions UK, a company resolving disputes in sport by way of mediation and arbitration.  He currently acts as a pro bono panel member with the company.

Ken's broader sports governance experience is extensive and where he will provide his greatest contribution to the NCU.  His experience gained through various roles he has held over many years with organisations including the Northern Ireland Sports Forum, the Mary Peters Trust, the Commonwealth Games Council and the Government led Sports Matters Monitoring Group will bring additional expertise to the NCU in sports governance, lobbying and government strategy for priorities for sport.

The new Director appointments will bring a wealth of experience to the NCU Board and we look forward to seeing their contribution to the development and evolution of cricket in the NCU.

The full NCU Board of Directors until the next AGM in October 2019 is outlined below:
Chairman – Alan Waite
Vice-Chairman – Sam Beckett (Domestic Cricket)
Directors – Alastair Burton (Finance and Sponsorship), Allan Rutherford (Representative Cricket), Roger Bell, Kailash Chada (Hon Treasurer), Stephen Dyer, Ken Nixon and Brian Walsh
Independent Directors – Rosemary Bryans, Ross Ellerby and Michael Humphreys