London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

English cricket chief Tom Harrison to try Six Nations top job

English cricket chief Tom Harrison to try Six Nations top job

Tom Harrison, who recently stepped down as chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, is to oversee the commercial interests of the annual Six Nations rugby union tournament.
The former boss of English cricket is poised to switch sports by landing the plum job of running the commercial operations of Six Nations rugby.

Sky News has learnt that Tom Harrison, whose departure from the England and Wales Cricket Board was announced last May, is close to being named as chief executive of Six Nations Limited, which controls the commercial rights and activities associated with the world's most important annual rugby union competitions.

Sources said his appointment was expected to be ratified by members of the Six Nations Council at a meeting on Thursday.

It has already been approved by the commercial board comprising representatives of the six member unions - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales - and CVC Capital Partners, the private equity firm which has become a major international investor in rugby union.

One rugby insider said Mr Harrison had been picked after a rigorous search for a candidate with extensive sporting and media rights experience, and reflected his track record after seven years running the ECB.

Six Nations Ltd manages both the Six Nations tournament and the series of autumn internationals which are being recast into a yearly northern and southern hemisphere competition called The Nations Cup.

The Six Nations, which kicks off next month, is largely broadcast on free-to-air television, while the autumn internationals are shown on pay-TV and streaming services such as Amazon.

Around 120 million viewers watch the Six Nations annually, equating to an average of about 8 million for each of the 15 matches.

Six Nations Limited is said by people close to the sport to be valued at roughly £3bn, and made approximately £150m in profit last year.

Mr Harrison will replace Ben Morel, whose departure at the end of the current season was announced in November.

Under Mr Morel's stewardship, the Six Nations has struck a partnership with Netflix for a fly-on-the-wall series and partnerships with brands such as Tik Tok.

Mr Morel has since accepted a role running the commercial operations of France's top-flight football league - another CVC-backed business.

CVC has become the most prolific private equity investor in sport globally, ploughing billions of pounds into football, rugby and volleyball.

Its previous ownership of Formula One motor racing was one of the most lucrative investments in the history of the private equity industry.

A rugby executive described the Six Nations role as one of the top sports commercial jobs in Europe, and said Mr Harrison was likely to have been attracted by the prospect of running a league without the responsibility of overseeing a series of national teams.

During his tenure at the ECB, Mr Harrison oversaw a near-tripling of revenue from £123m in 2014 to an expected £320m this year.

"Tom transformed the reach of English cricket by introducing a hybrid broadcast model across pay-TV and free-to-air," an insider said.

His work overseeing the creation of The Hundred format - which is itself now drawing interest from private equity investors - and creation of a joint venture vehicle to bring third-party investment into English cricket are understood to have been of particular interest to rugby chiefs.

Mr Harrison is also credited by allies with having helped to oversee a transformation of the ECB's culture, even as parts of the sport were engulfed in a historical racism scandal.

If confirmed, Mr Harrison's appointment at Six Nations Rugby will see him work alongside the former O2 chief, Ronan Dunne, who was appointed as the commercial entity's chairman in late 2021.

None of the parties contacted for comment responded on Wednesday afternoon.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
×