BCCI appoints Rahul Johri as its first ever CEO on Lodha Committee recommendation

The BCCI on Wednesday appointed media professional Rahul Johri as its first ever Chief Executive Officer, acting on the recommendation of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee. Johri last served as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific’s Executive Vice-President and General Manager for South Asia. He will take on his new role starting June 1 and will be reporting to BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur, a statement from the Board said.

The appointment of a CEO to oversee non-cricketing management was one of the suggestions made by the Justice Lodha panel set up by the Supreme Court to identify structural changes and bring in accountability in the way the cricket body is run following the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

While the committee had recommended a five-year contract for the CEO, the BCCI did not give details on Johri’s tenure, but said he would report to the honorary secretary. He will be based at the Mumbai office.

In the past, Ratnakar Shetty had served as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of BCCI and is currently the CEO of IPL. He had also served as General Manager, Game Development.

Johri brings with him immense experience and knowledge on Board and will be responsible for the smooth functioning of operations, stakeholder management and building robust strategies for further promoting the sport.

Commenting on the appointment, BCCI President Shashank Manohar, said, “We are pleased to have Rahul with us and are sure his vast experience and knowledge will benefit the Board.  His vision, guidance and support will contribute towards the successful working of the BCCI.”

BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said, “We welcome Rahul aboard and wish him luck for his new role at BCCI. In the past one year, BCCI has undertaken various initiatives aimed towards transforming the working of BCCI in order to make the functioning more robust. This endeavor is another initiative of the Board aimed in the same direction and will mark as one more milestone towards strengthening the professional working of the BCCI.”

On his appointment, Johri said, “I am honoured at the opportunity to serve millions of Indian cricket fans. It will be my utmost endeavor to contribute to the Indian cricket. I am thankful to the President and Honorary Secretary of the BCCI for bestowing such faith in me. I look forward to everyone’s support to fulfill this tremendous responsibility.”

With over 20 plus years of experience in the media industry, Johri was last associated with Discovery Networks for 15 years and was leading South Asia operations for the past eight years.