Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson appointed as Yorkshire co-chair

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has been appointed as co-chair at Yorkshire, to aid the club's transition following Lord Kamlesh Patel's announcement that he will be standing down from his role at the AGM in March.

Baroness Grey-Thompson, an 11-times Paralympic gold medal winner and a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, was one of six appointments to the Yorkshire board in May 2022, in the wake of Azeem Rafiq's revelations about institutional racism at the club.

As an existing non-executive director, her appointment to co-chair will ensure continuity when Lord Patel steps down, with a commitment to stay in the role in an interim capacity until a successor is appointed.

"I am grateful to the board, and in particular Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson for agreeing to be part of a smooth handover process," Lord Patel said. "It has been a pleasure working alongside such an experienced and committed leadership team, and I know that all are committed to our mission to get this club back to where it deserves to be, both on and off the field.

"Since arriving at the club I have been driven by a desire to learn from the past and make Yorkshire a benchmark of cohesion and togetherness, ensuring it is an inclusive home for all who play for and support us, now and in the future.

"The process that we have established will ensure we are ideally placed to find a successor who can take on this responsibility and continue to drive our vision forward, building on the progress we have made over the last year."

Lord Patel's tenure began when he took over from Roger Hutton in November 2021, at the height of the club's racism crisis. He oversaw key reforms that helped to stabilise the club after the withdrawal of a raft of sponsors had left Yorkshire facing bankruptcy, but acknowledged at the recent DCMS hearing in Westminster that the abuse he had received in the role was a contributory factor in his decision to stand down.

A Yorkshire spokesman confirmed that Lord Patel will continue to oversee the club's response to the ongoing Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearings, which are due to take place in the coming months.

Grey-Thompson herself could be among the contenders to step up as Yorkshire's new chair. Another name who has confirmed his interest is the former chair, Colin Graves, who told the Yorkshire Post last week that he is willing to return to the role that he occupied from 2012-2015, but "on his own terms".