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Essex County Cricket Club have made history by becoming the first club in 150 years to appoint a woman as its Chair of the Board. Rachel Lewis takes over from Jason Gallian, who has been holding the post of interim Chair since 2009.

New Essex coach appointed in a landmark year for the county, which is celebrating 150 years of existence. Essex, however, was founded in 1876 and the club have selected a boss with plenty of sporting pedigree and deep roots in the county.

Rachel Lewis has been Chair of Essex Cricket in the Community for three years. She has been involved in the development of community engagement and accessibility within the game.

Before his cricket administration career, Lewis was a professional volleyball player and represented Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics, where GB finished eighth place (fifth in Pool A) with one win.

Upon her appointment, Lewis said she was "honoured" to be able to lead the county for "such an important year".

Rachel Lewis said on the Essex website:

"It is an enormous privilege to be made Chairman of Essex County Cricket Club, especially in its 150 th year; this is a proud Club with a successful history and I am looking forward to ensuring we make the most of a very important new era. With our redevelopment program and both teams playing the game at its highest level, we have a fantastic opportunity to lead Essex Cricket forward, and I am very thankful to the Board for their support to me in my new position,"

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This appointment coincides with a hectic period for Essex Cricket. The club's men's and women's teams are competing in the top tier of domestic cricket, as part of the club's historic anniversary year.

Essex men's team are presently placed sixth in the County Championship Division One table with 105 points from eight games played. In addition, they made it to the quarter-finals of the 2026 T20 Blast, but lost to Hampshire in Southampton.

The women's team have also played a part in an historic bit of English cricket. Essex were one of the original eight teams in the new Tier 1 women's domestic cricket structure introduced in 2025. Essex finished 5 th in the Women's T20 Blast and now languish at the bottom of the 2026 Women's One Day Cup table.

Rachel Lewis is now at the helm as Essex aim to build on a proud history while looking ahead. As the ground development project continues and more investment is made in men's and women's cricket, her appointment marks another milestone in the county's proud history.