Johri, who was last serving as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific’s Executive Vice-President and General Manager for South Asia, will take on his new role starting June 1 and will be reporting to BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur, a statement from the Board said. 

The appointment of a CEO to oversee non-cricketing management was one of the suggestions made by the Justice Lodha panel set up by the Supreme Court to identify structural changes and bring in accountability to the way the cricket body is run following the IPL spot-fixing scandal. 

While the committee had recommended a five-year contract for the CEO, the BCCI did not give details on Johri’s tenure, but said he would report to the honorary secretary. He will be based at the Mumbai office. 

In the past, Ratnakar Shetty had served as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of BCCI and is currently the CEO of IPL. 

Johri brings with him immense experience and knowledge on Board and will be responsible for the smooth functioning of operations, stakeholder management and building robust strategies for further promoting the sport. 

Yes, we are not really sure what all that entails.

Commenting on the appointment, BCCI President Shashank Manohar, said, “His vision, guidance and support will contribute towards the successful working of the BCCI.” 

BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said, “In the past one year, BCCI has undertaken various initiatives aimed towards transforming the working of BCCI in order to make the functioning more robust. This endeavor is another initiative of the Board aimed in the same direction.” 

For his part, Johri said, “I am honoured at the opportunity to serve millions of Indian cricket fans. It will be my utmost endeavor to contribute to the Indian cricket. ” 

With over 20 plus years of experience in the media industry, Johri was last associated with Discovery Networks for 15 years and was leading South Asia operations for the past eight years.