After just three years in office, Essex CEO John Stephenson announced his resignation. This is believed to be a cost-cutting move reflecting the worsening financial problems for non-Test-hosting counties.
After spending the next 17 years at MCC, Stephenson, who amassed over 10,000 first-class runs for Essex between 1985 and 2004, rejoined the team in 2021 as chief executive.
But now that he’s stepped down to “pursue other projects,” Dan Feist, the former operations manager of Essex, has been named general manager in a reorganisation of the club’s leadership, taking over day-to-day operations.
During Stephenson’s tenure, Chelmsford was embroiled in a string of racist scandals. One such scandal involved an alleged racist remark made by John Faragher, the club’s then-chairman, during a board meeting in 2017; Faragher refutes the claim, but the Cricket Discipline Commission fined the club £50,000 for it.
Following the upholding of several previous charges of racist abuse by an independent report led by Katherine Newton KC last year, the club was once more charged by the Cricket Regulator, the new independent disciplinary authority for the sport.
Essex was rewarded earlier this year with a successful bid to host one of the eight initial Tier 1 women’s teams from 2025 onwards, a prospect Stephenson hoped would “future-proof” the club, including through a redevelopment of their home ground at Chelmsford. Stephenson is understood to have impressed the ECB by leading the club’s response to the scandals.
But the club may not be able to afford a traditional CEO in the future due to the financial costs associated with the racism controversy, which included commissioning the Newton Report and reviewing the club’s finances. Stephenson will stay on the board until the end of the season, but he has stepped down with immediate effect.
“This has been a difficult decision to make as Essex has been in my bloodstream since the day I walked through the doors at Chelmsford in 1984,” Stephenson stated.
“I am proud of what I achieved here. I have loved my time as chief executive and particularly enjoyed working with our diverse and talented board and our close-knit team of professional and dedicated staff.
“We have enjoyed success on the field and I am certain there is more to come.”
“He has shown outstanding leadership in guiding Essex through the last three years, and we are extremely sad to see him step down, but we respect his reasons,” said Essex chairman Anu Mohindru in response to Stephenson’s resignation.
“Despite the challenging circumstances the club has faced due to historical accusations of racism, we consider ourselves very fortunate to have John as our CEO. He showed resoluteness, discernment, justice, and honesty by confronting the accusations head-on.
“We have been successful in acquiring a women’s tier one squad and creating a master plan and distinct vision for a new ground throughout his tenure. He leaves this county with far greater strength and capacity to grow in the future.”
With two Division One titles in 2017 and 2019, as well as the Bob Willis Trophy in the 2020 season that was affected by Covid, Essex has been one of the most impressive teams in the County Championship in recent years. They are now third in Division One, however in their most recent game at the Kia Oval, they were badly defeated by leaders Surrey.