John Stephenson quits

[nat]

Trouble 't mill?

[bwildered]

After three successful years, John Stephenson has decided to step down as Chief Executive of Essex Cricket after the conclusion of the 2024 playing season to pursue other projects.

[SirChef26]

AKA he's been offered a better job.

That's worrying news. When taking into account the amount of crap he's had to wade through since being back at the club, I thought he did quite well.

Does this mean ANOTHER ground development is dead in the water?

[essexfan548]

Don't Surrey have a vacancy?

My thoughts entirely. Given how he was working on the ground development - all seems a bit odd and sudden!

[nat]

I always thought that little ol' Essex CCC was a bit too small town for Mr Stephenson. Probably saw the club as a stepping stone to bigger things.

[bwildered]

I always thought that little ol' Essex CCC was a bit too small town for Mr Stephenson. Probably saw the club as a stepping stone to bigger things.

 Must have been a stepping stone down, has previously had a post in the MCC .

[Andy]

I always thought that little ol' Essex CCC was a bit too small town for Mr Stephenson. Probably saw the club as a stepping stone to bigger things.

MCC down to ECCC and up to SCCC?

[Andy]

If he goes to the Oval, where does that leave Dan Lawrence?  I hope JS daughter looks more like her mother.

[honkytonk]

Daily Mail makes it sound like he has left as we could not afford to pay him any longer.

[nat]

Daily Mail makes it sound like he has left as we could not afford to pay him any longer.

You/DM could be right. Dan Feist has been appointed CEO under a 'restructuring of the Board' so presumably they will not be recruiting a deputy CEO (they don't need one anyway).

[Suffolk Richard]

Wish John every success on hills new project. Pleased for Dan who has given a lot of service to the club and probably deserves this chance to shape our club.

[kingstonj1]

Heartbreaking what could happen to us because of this utter bllx report, how did it cost so much and the likely fine.

3 failed cricketers and a board member with an axe to grind could very well destroy the whole club.

Awful that it's allowed to have gone this far.

[SirChef26]

Daily Mail makes it sound like he has left as we could not afford to pay him any longer.

You/DM could be right. Dan Feist has been appointed CEO under a 'restructuring of the Board' so presumably they will not be recruiting a deputy CEO (they don't need one anyway).

He's not been appointed CEO technically, he's been given the title general manager, although his responsibilities seem to be that of a CEO. I assume this is so the club doesn't have to officially 'promote' him and give him a fat pay rise.

I'm afraid the reality is that the club are banking on that 20-25m they'll get for the sale of the franchises to sort out all their problems. We just aren't generating enough cash to operate sustainably in our current form. Bills have universally shot up, particularly energy bills, while we have zero revenue production outside of cricket operations in this relic of a ground.

It can't stay like this much longer...

[Suffolk Richard]

I wonder if the outcome of election is going to derail the clubs plans for a new stadium at Chelmsford? I.E. New Writtle Street car park site may now be used for affordable homes instead?

[dazedpenguin]

Cricinfo framing it as a cost cutting move too:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/john-stephenson-steps-down-as-essex-chief-executive-in-cost-cutting-move-1442638

"John Stephenson, Essex's chief executive, has announced his resignation after only three years in the role, in what is understood to be a cost-cutting measure that reflects the deepening financial crisis among non-Test-hosting counties.

...

Stephenson's time at Chelmsford proved to be turbulent, with the club embroiled in a series of racism scandals, including an alleged racist comment from the then-chairman, John Faragher, at a board meeting in 2017 - a charge that Faragher denies but for which the club was fined ?50,000 by the Cricket Discipline Commission.

Last month, the club was again charged by the Cricket Regulator - the sport's new independent disciplinary body - after a series of historical allegations of racist abuse were last year upheld by an independent report, conducted by Katherine Newton KC."