BCCI gets its first CEO, but will anything change?

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 20

Rahul Johri has been appointed the first-ever chief executive officer (CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Johri, who has a work experience of over two decades in the media industry, will join the BCCI on June 1. Johri, who will be based in Mumbai, would report to the BCCI secretary.

The creation of the post of CEO was one of the recommendations made by the Justice Lodha Committee in January this year. The Lodha Committee had said that the BCCI needed to separate its governance and management duties, and that a CEO should be appointed to handle the management duties.

Headhunting

Johri’s appointment was done in a professional manner, using the services of a professional headhunting firm. This is a break from the past, when key positions in the BCCI or the IPL had gone to cronies and chamchas of senior BCCI officials, without advertising or using a headhunting firm.

Soon after the Lodha Committee recommended the creation of the post of CEO, the BCCI engaged a Mumbai-based headhunting firm, Korn Ferry, to recruit its CEO and chief finance officer (CFO). Korn Ferry, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles, is touted as the “largest provider of executive search” in the world. Korn Ferry was authorised to use its own methods and discretion in the hiring process, according to a source familiar with the decision.

Several existing BCCI officials, or officials working with its units, had shown their interest to become the CEO or CFO of the cricket board. Korn Ferry was reported to have conducted interviews with some of them. Eventually, Rahul Johri emerged as the choice for the CEO’s position, and his appointment was ratified by the BCCI bosses.

New Discovery

Until February, Johri was the Discovery Network Channel’s executive vice-president for the Asia Pacific region. He was with Discovery Networks for over 15 years.

“I am honoured at the opportunity to serve millions of Indian cricket fans,” Johri said in a media release today. “It will be my utmost endeavour to contribute to the Indian cricket. I am thankful to the president and honorary secretary of the BCCI for bestowing such faith in me. I look forward to everyone’s support to fulfil this tremendous responsibility.”

Over the last few months, through its lawyers in the Supreme Court, the BCCI has been opposing most of the radical recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee. However, it acted with good speed on the issue of the CEO — probably because the creation of this post doesn’t curtail the power of the BCCI officials. 

Now it remains to be seen if Johri would be given the space to operate in a completely professional and independent manner. Will the BCCI officials loosen their hold on the strings of power? Time will tell, but the answer is likely to be a big ‘no’.