The International Cricket Council has appointed Ros Rivaz as its new Independent Director, adding a senior governance voice to the board at a moment when the sport’s global body is trying to sharpen oversight and widen its perspective.

Rivaz brings extensive international leadership and governance experience to the role, and the ICC said her appointment will strengthen board oversight and ensure diverse perspectives are represented in its decision-making. The move gives the council a board-level addition with experience across major institutions, a detail that matters because the ICC is balancing commercial growth with the demands of running a global sport.

Rivaz already chairs Anglian Water and UK Companies House, two roles that underline the kind of management and public-facing experience she brings into cricket’s top table. ICC Chairman Jay Shah welcomed what he called her strategic insight, signaling that the appointment is being framed not just as a governance hire but as part of the wider push to support the game’s global growth strategy.

What the announcement does not spell out is the problem it is meant to solve inside the boardroom. The ICC says the change will strengthen governance, but it does not identify a specific weakness or dispute that prompted the move, leaving the appointment to read as both a signal of confidence and a quiet acknowledgment that the council wants its oversight to look broader than before.

Rivaz said she was enthusiastic about contributing to the game’s growth and long-term development, and that is now the clearest measure of what comes next: not a ceremonial title, but a board role that will be judged by whether it translates into steadier oversight and clearer direction for the sport’s future.