New Zealand Cricket appoints former left-arm seamer Geoff Allott as new CEO

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has appointed former left-arm seamer, Geoff Allott, as its new chief executive officer. Allott replaces Scott Weenink, who tendered his resignation in December last year.

Allott played 10 Tests and 31 ODIs for the Blackcaps, claiming 19 and 52 wickets, respectively. He averaged 58.47 in the red-ball format and 23.21 in ODIs. Allott bagged four four-wicket hauls in the 50-over format. He quite famously finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker alongside Shane Warne at the 1999 ICC Men's ODI World Cup with 20 scalps at an average of 16.25.

"Having worn the silver fern as a player, served as General Manager of Cricket, and contributed for over eight years as a board director, I have a deep connection to this organisation and our game," Allott said in a release issued by NZC.

"I look forward to working collaboratively with the board, players, staff, member associations, and our commercial partners to build strong relationships, foster a positive and constructive culture, and deliver outstanding results both on and off the field.

"By strengthening relationships through all levels of the game here, we can ensure New Zealand cricket remains competitive, sustainable, and thriving at every level."

The chairman of NZC, Diana Puketapu-Lyndon, expressed immense confidence in Allott's ability as an administrator and believed that his appointment would lead to further growth and development of New Zealand Cricket.

"Geoff brings a rare and highly-relevant combination of attributes to the role: deep cricket expertise as a former New Zealand representative, invaluable experience within NZC as former General Manager of Cricket and Board member, and strong commercial leadership as Executive Director of his company QualityNZ," Puketapu-Lyndon said.

"We're confident his playing background, institutional knowledge, business acumen, and international outlook make him exceptionally well placed to lead NZC through the next phase of growth and development.

"On behalf of the Board, I welcome Geoff and wish him every success. We're confident he'll be a strong, collaborative leader who will work closely with all stakeholders to deliver an exciting future for New Zealand cricket."