Kevin Malloy elected NZC chair

Kevin Malloy has been elected Chair of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), after Diana Puketapu-Lyndon stepped down from the board at the 132nd Annual General Meeting of NZC. Puketapu-Lyndon, who joined the board in 2017 and in 2023 became the first woman, and the first person of Māori descent, to chair NZC, completed the maximum nine years as a director.

Malloy, who has been an NZC Director since 2019 and served as Deputy Chair, was elected by the Board at a meeting held immediately following the AGM.

Malloy has worked in advertising and marketing in New Zealand, New York, Hong Kong and London. He spent 29 years with global media agency Starcom, where he was CEO of International Operations and global client director on the Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble accounts, and he also chaired Vivaki's Australia/New Zealand operations. He is set to conclude a three-year term as Chair of Super Rugby Pacific, and currently sits on the boards of Kiwibank and Tourism New Zealand.

Following his appointment, the board stated in a release, “He brings to the role a strong background in sport governance, alongside three decades of international commercial leadership.”

Malloy is set to conclude a three-year term as Chair of Super Rugby Pacific in December and currently sits on the boards of Kiwibank and Tourism New Zealand.

Meanwhile, on the recommendation of the Board Appointments Panel, Raewyn Lovett ONZM and Jono Brent were elected to the board, while Anna Campbell and Ali Shanks were re-elected after coming up for their three-year renewal.

Mike Devonshire, whose term had also come up for renewal, was not recommended for reappointment by the panel. He left the Board after three years of service.

The board stated, “Lovett brings more than two decades of governance experience in New Zealand and international sport, having chaired Sport New Zealand, High Performance Sport New Zealand and Netball New Zealand, as well as co-chairing the International Working Group on Women and Sport.

“Brent, a Chartered Accountant and former chief executive in the infrastructure sector, chaired Canterbury Cricket for three years and has spent the past 12 months leading the development of the Community Cricket New Zealand strategy.”

Welcoming the new appointments, Malloy said. "I want to begin by thanking Diana, who has given nine years of service to this Board and led with real courage through one of the most demanding periods in the game's recent history. It is an honour to be asked to lead NZC as Chair and it’s a responsibility I take on with a strong understanding of how much the game means to so many New Zealanders.

“My thanks go to Mike Devonshire for his valuable contributions over the past three years, and I want to welcome Raewyn and Jono, who bring outstanding governance, financial, and community cricket experience to the table.”

He added that in the current landscape of global cricket, it was essential for New Zealand Cricket to adapt. “The landscape of cricket is evolving rapidly, both here and around the world, and while that brings challenges, it also brings opportunities.

“It’s an exciting time for NZC. We’re in the middle of a vibrant in-bound tour by India with record attendances, our BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS have major tours and ICC events on the horizon, and we are also preparing to co-host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2028.”

Malloy acknowledged the level of interest in NZ20 and its potential, but said the board was just as focused on the work going on across the community game and the high performance systems.

“NZ20 is an aspirational concept with an incredible potential, which is why the board chose it as the preferred option for the future of our domestic T20 competition. I know there’s plenty of work going on in that space and we're hopeful of some positive updates from the NZ20 Establishment Committee in the near future.

“More broadly, the Board understands that cricket has a job to do to grow our game. We know we are competing for attention against a myriad of other sports and entertainment products, so it’s upon us as an organisation to ensure Kiwis continue connecting with and loving cricket."

The 132nd NZC AGM also featured former NZC and ICC Chair Greg Barclay CNZM being elected a Life Member of NZC in recognition of his significant contribution to the game and sports governance, while former players - Rachel Pullar Gary Troup ONZM - and international umpires Steve Dunne and Steve Woodward were appointed Honorary Members for their outstanding service to cricket in New Zealand.

Former player and coach Mark Greatbatch continues in his role as NZC President for the second year of his three year term. Members also adopted the board’s audited financial statements for the year ending July 31 2026 confirmed a deficit of $7.3 million against a budgeted deficit of $1.8 million, as first advised in August.

NZC's reserves stand at $25.2 million, and the organisation is forecasting a surplus of more than $10 million for FY27, driven largely by the India men's tour.

NZC Board: Kevin Malloy (Chair), Bill Birnie, Jono Brent, Anna Campbell, Raewyn Lovett, Ali Shanks, Roger Twose.