Lodha panel effect: BCCI appoints Rahul Johri as its first CEO

New Delhi: Heeding to the changes recommended by the three-member Lodha panel, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the appointment of Rahul Johri as its first Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The Indian cricket board today released a statement, which states that Johri "will take on his new role starting June 1, 2016 onwards, reporting to the Honorary Secretary BCCI and will be based at Mumbai office."

Anurag Thakur, Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, is the secretary of BCCI.

It's imperative to mention that the creation of such a one of the changes recommended by the Lodha panel in its report in January this year. The panel had stressed the need for the BCCI to separate its governance and management duties, with the CEO taking charge of the management side.

According to the release, Johri previously served as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific's executive vice-president and general manager for South Asia. And he will be responsible for "smooth functioning of operations, stakeholder management and building robust strategies for further promoting the sport.

In the same release, BCCI President Shashank Manohar welcomed the new CEO and 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.”

Thakur also welcomed the CEO, “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.”