Lord Kamlesh Patel has introduced he’ll step down as Yorkshire chair on the membership’s subsequent Annual General Meeting in March.
Lord Patel, who took over from Roger Hutton in November 2021 on the top of the membership’s racism disaster, endured a turbulent tenure that started amid the suspension of Headingley’s worldwide internet hosting rights and the withdrawal of a raft of sponsors that left the membership going through chapter.
However, regardless of enduring important opposition from throughout the membership membership – notably from a gaggle led by the previous chair, Robin Smith – Patel instigated a sequence of reforms throughout his tenure that targeted on equality, variety and inclusion, such as improved processes for whistleblowers to report discrimination.
By decreasing price limitations inside Yorkshire’s Pathway programme – together with free equipment and training for boy’s and woman’s regional cricket – the membership has additionally seen an upturn in participation and variety on his watch.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to work for such a prestigious organisation,” Patel mentioned in an announcement issued by Yorkshire. “I have made the difficult decision to step aside at the next AGM and enable the club to continue on its important journey of change under a new chair.
“I would really like to thank these members who’ve been massively supportive of the modifications that the board have launched at Headingley. I’d additionally like to thank the workers and board members who’ve all labored tirelessly throughout what has been a transformational interval in Yorkshire’s historical past.
“There is still much for the club to do, but I have the strongest faith that Yorkshire will be back at the pinnacle of English cricket for the long-term.”
Further measures undertaken throughout Patel’s tenure embody the availability of a extra inclusive environment for matchdays at Headingley, Scarborough and York, with extra family-friendly alcohol-free areas and sensory rooms.
“If I was an individual who wasn’t a member of the House of Lords and hadn’t had any sort of leadership experience, you would walk away,” he advised MPs.
“I don’t know how Azeem gets the strength to carry on. You would just run. In the public eye, we get flak [but] this is relentless. And this is from an area where you don’t expect it – this is sport, for God’s sake.
“Individuals who’ve simply been [making] a concerted assault, I don’t assume folks perceive, I do not assume the ECB has obtained it.”
Following the announcement of Lord Patel’s departures, Stephen Vaughan, Yorkshire’s chief executive, said: “Kamlesh must be extraordinarily pleased with what he has achieved at Headingley throughout his tenure as chair.
“The structures that have been put in place are vital in ensuring that Yorkshire is a club that people are proud to be associated with.
“Equality, variety and inclusivity are on the coronary heart of our membership and I’m excited to work with the board, govt group and new chair to proceed on this journey of significant change.”