Warwickshire County Cricket Club has welcomed Iftkhar Ahmed, Courtney Rowlands and Tracey Orr to its Board of Directors following its recent Annual General Meeting and Members’ Committee Meeting.
Iftkhar joins the Board of Directors by succeeding Mike Williams as Chair of the Members’ Committee. As a Solicitor and Partner at Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP for more than 30 years where he sits on both the firm’s International and Global Boars. He has been involved in significant developments in Birmingham, including the Grand Hotel and HSBC’s new headquarters at Arena Central. Born in Alum Rock and schooled in Washwood Heath, Iftkhar currently resides in Edgbaston, so has a strong connection and understanding of the Club’s local community. He is a cricket fanatic and attended his first game at Edgbaston in 1977 and he joined the Members Committee at the Club in 2019. Iftkhar was also a previous winner of the Lloyds TSB Professional Excellence Jewel Award, which celebrates success within the South Asian business community.
Courtney joined the Member’s Committee in 2019 and was elected as its second representative to the Board of Directors, replacing Andrew Burn. Having grown up in the United States, Courtney was gripped by cricket during the 1993 Ashes series whilst she was studying at the University of St Andrews. She moved to Birmingham in 2011 and immediately became a Warwickshire Member, having been a member at Trent Bridge since 2005. Courtney has previous experience in recruitment and independent retail management and is now an Operations Manager in Trade Finance at Lloyds Banking Group.
Tracey was co-opted to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director at the February AGM and she is a vastly experienced commercial Chief Operating Officer and Human Resources leader. She recently completed her executive career at the Central England Co-operative but still holds Non-Executive Director appointments, including with the Civil Service Sports Council. In addition to her strong HR background, Tracey’s previous experience as a School Governor and Member of the Trust Board of Selly Oak School, a local special needs school, will support the Club’s Edgbaston for Everyone programme. She was a volunteer at Edgbaston during the 2019 ICC men’s Cricket World Cup and has worked with the Workforce and Volunteer Team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She has a keen interest in positive mental health having served on the Board of the Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust.
“The Board’s role is to bring their diverse experiences of life, local communities, sport and business to the table so that we can make the right strategic decisions. So, it’s great to welcome new Board Members who can provide different views and perspectives.
Stuart Cain
“Iftkhar and Courtney have a strong understanding of the local community and corporate life in the city, as well as a good understanding of what’s important to Warwickshire Members. Tracey has different experiences in the community, as well as an understanding of recreational sport and professional HR experience. Both will help us move the club’s thinking forward as we continue to make Edgbaston a safe and welcoming place for all, whether that be as a player, fan or member of staff.”
The Warwickshire CCC Board of Directors now consists of 11 members
- Mark McCafferty (Chair) – appointed
- Michelle Leavesley- appointed
- Naz Khan – appointed
- John Dodge – elected
- Mike Wright – elected
- Paul Doona – elected
- Tracey Orr – co-opted
- Ifkthar Ahmed – Members’ Committee
- Courtney Rowland – Members’ Committee
- Stuart Cain (Chief Executive) – ex-officio
- Craig Flindall (Chief Operating Officer – ex-officio
