About James
James Sutherland joined Cricket Australia, then ACB, as GM Commercial in 1998. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2001, a role he has held for more than 17 years. In June 2018 he announced his intention to step down as CEO by mid-2019.
A former first-class cricketer for Victoria, Sutherland is also a qualified chartered accountant. After starting his career at Ernst & Young, Sutherland first moved into sports administration as finance manager at Carlton Football Club in 1992 where he held the role for six years.
Among the many achievements during his tenure at Cricket Australia, the sport has experienced a more than 250 percent increase in participation including a ten-fold increase in female participation. Aggregate attendance has increased by 137 percent, while revenue has also grown ten-fold from $50 million in 2001 to near $500 million in 2018.
Sutherland led Australian cricket through the introduction of the highly successful Big Bash League, Women’s Big Bash League and Day-Night Test Cricket driving record crowds at venues across the country.
A Male Champion of Change since 2015, Sutherland has played a pivotal role driving substantial wage increases for women in cricket – a landmark achievement in gender equity in sport – enabling the pursuit of a professional career in cricket, regardless of gender.
The Australian squads have secured three men’s and two women’s World Cups, and three Women’s World T20 titles under his leadership.
In addition to an extraordinary list of achievements at Cricket Australia, Sutherland coached at Victorian Premier Cricket level. He is an honorary life member of Melbourne University Cricket Club and the Marylebone Cricket Club.
A member of the ICC’s Chief Executive Committee, the Chairman of COMPPS – the coalition of major Australian sports – Sutherland was also a Board member of the Local Organising Committee responsible for staging the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand. He is an engaging speaker on leadership, motivation and of course has incredible insight into the stories behind the stories that happened in Cricket during his time at the helm of CA.
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