Worcestershire will have to appoint a new chief executive after Tom Scott said he would be resigning © Getty Images
Tom Scott has announced he is to step down as chief executive of Worcestershire. Scott, who was appointed to the role in an interim basis in February 2016 but assumed the role permanently in July of last year, will remain in position until the end of 2017 to ensure a smooth handover with his successor. A recruitment process will begin shortly.
The announcement, made in a brief press release, perhaps raised more questions than it answered. While Scott had always made it clear that he did not see himself remaining in the role for too long, he was expected to stay until the end of 2018, at least. The decision is understood not to be health related.
Scott has made a positive impression in his relatively short time with the club. A former policeman who then built a successful business (The Cotswold Group) which, for a time, was Worcestershire’s main sponsor, he was an unashamed fan who felt the best way he could serve was as chief executive. When he took on the role, he found a club in a perilous financial position. While decent facilities had been built, they were largely unused – capacity was running at under 20% for a time – and the club owed significant sums to private individuals. Insolvency was a real threat.
He set about transforming the commercial side of the club, making several long-serving members of staff redundant and employing a new team to meet the commercial demands of the time.
He also impressed most supporters with his approachable manner, his honest response to queries and his preparedness to get his hands dirty when necessary. Among other things, he provided the tables and chairs for the new coffee shop himself and was seen painting the doors not long before opening.
There were frustrations, though. The constitution of the club – uniquely among the first-class counties – places the CEO and the director of cricket on the same level, which meant Scott had little control over the actions of Steve Rhodes. It is understood the pair clashed sharply over the handling of the Tom Kohler-Cadmore affair – Scott favoured an emollient response, Rhodes reached for the nuclear button – and the relationship may not have fully recovered. The constitution is currently in the process of being re-drafted with members expected to be asked to approve the new version at the next AGM in March 2018.
The club’s chairman, Steve Taylor, insisted that Scott’s departure had nothing to do with either his relationship with Rhodes or his frustration at the constitutional issues.
“It’s true Tom was frustrated at times by the structure of the club,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo, “but there was no personal problem. It had always been the understanding that he would do the job for two or three years so, while he is probably going a year before we had planned, it is something we have been talking about for a month or so. He just felt it was the right time.
“He brought a huge amount of commercial experience to the club and we desperately needed that. I think he also won people over with his approachable manner. He did a great job in restructuring our commercial operation and leaves a modernised club – both commercially and constitutionally – which should be in a great state for the next CEO to walk into. We’re very grateful for his contribution.”
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo