Cricket Australia confirms new director appointments

Cricket Australia has announced changes to its leadership team, including the appointment of Sarah Pragnell as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and James Allsopp to the newly created role of Director of Cricket.

The appointment of Sarah Pragnell follows the resignation of Samantha Douglas as CFO and follows a highly competitive selection process. With almost 20 years of experience in investment banking, corporate advisory and FMCG, Pragnell joins us from H&H Group (Swisse Wellness) where she was ANZ/Asia Regional CFO & Group Corporate Finance Director. Her experience includes roles at Macquarie Capital, Lion Capital Advisory and Medibank Private and she holds a Masters of Finance from INSEAD. Pragnell has also represented Australia in rowing.

James Allsopp, previously Executive General Manager Community Cricket and Capability at CA, has been appointed Chief of Cricket. This new role will oversee all functions of cricket, including community cricket, talent pathway programs, high performance and national teams. Allsopp’s extensive experience includes serving as Chief Executive of Cricket ACT and captaining the Bankstown First XI in Sydney Premier Cricket and as a member of the NSW Second XI and Under-19 teams.

Ben Oliver will continue as EGM National Teams and will remain a member of the CA Executive team. Oliver’s tenure has brought significant success to Australian cricket, including victories in the ICC Men’s Test World Championship, ODI World Cup, Women’s T20 and ODI World Cups and the retention of both the Men’s and Women’s Ashes. This structural change is designed to allow Oliver to focus more on the performance of Australia’s World Cup teams amid the increasing complexity of global cricket.

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley praised the appointments, highlighting Pragnell’s commercial finance expertise and Allsopp’s comprehensive cricket experience. Hockley said he was confident the changes would benefit cricket at all levels, particularly with the upcoming five-Test NRMA Insurance Border-Gavaskar Trophy and CommBank Women’s Ashes series, as well as the excitement surrounding the Big Bash Leagues, which are set to drive the development of junior programs and competitions across the country.

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