England Women appoint Leah Poulton as managing director

Leah Poulton, a former Australian cricketer and administrator, has been appointed as the managing director of England Women's cricket team. Poulton replaces Clare Connor, who announced her departure from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after a 18-year career. The ECB praised her "impressive track record" in advancing women's cricket in Australia.

Poulton, who earned 90 caps for Australia before retiring in 2015, has spent the last six years as head of elite female cricket at Cricket New South Wales. In this role, she oversees cricket performance operations across two Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) franchises, women's state cricket, and one of the world's largest women's cricket talent pathways.

Prior to this, she served as a high-performance coach at Cricket Australia for three years, instrumental in establishing Australia's successful women's high-performance pathway.

In her new position, Poulton will be responsible for the performances of England Women, England Women A, England Women Under-19s, and the overall women's high-performance system. She will begin her role in November, with England set to host the Women's Ashes the following summer. Poulton will collaborate closely with England Women's head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Poulton expressed her excitement and honor at joining England Women and stated her intention to build upon existing strong foundations while focusing on investing in people. She emphasized the importance of pathways and a robust domestic game to ensure sustained success. ECB CEO Richard Gould commended Poulton for her understanding of international cricket and her impressive reputation in administration.

He believes she will work well with Edwards and Sciver-Brunt, continuing the team's progress and development towards the ICC Women's Champions Trophy and Women's Ashes in 2027.