Lancashire turn to Richard Kenyon as new chief executive amid County Championship struggles
Lancashire have appointed Richard Kenyon as their new chief executive, luring him from the same role at Nottinghamshire after less than a year in charge at Trent Bridge. Kenyon replaces Daniel Gidney, who is retiring at the end of 2026 after 14 years at Old Trafford. BBC Sport
The move is a personal one. Kenyon is leaving the county champions — Nottinghamshire won the Division One title last season — to move closer to his family home in Southport. He had taken up the Nottinghamshire post in October 2025, initially on an interim basis after the resignation of LJ Pursehouse MBE on 30 September, before being confirmed in the role. His time at Trent Bridge will have lasted under a year.
Kenyon arrives at Old Trafford with a CV that spans both cricket and football. Before Nottinghamshire, he spent a decade at Everton FC, where he held roles including chief commercial and communications officer and chief executive of Everton in the Community, the club's charitable arm. He was also involved in Everton's move from Goodison Park to their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
Lancashire chair Dame Sarah Storey said Kenyon emerged as "the outstanding candidate" from what she described as an exceptionally strong field, following an extensive search process. Lancashire Cricket
Kenyon himself pointed to a long-standing connection with the club. His earliest memories of Lancashire date to the 1980s, when he watched them face the West Indies at Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club in 1984. That ground sits a short walk from the family home he is now returning to.
The handover at Trent Bridge is already settled. Michael Temple, Nottinghamshire's commercial director, will step up as interim chief executive. Temple held the same commercial brief through the final quarter of 2025, so he knows the building well.
Kenyon inherits a club that needs attention on the pitch as much as off it. Lancashire were relegated from Division One of the County Championship — the first-class four-day competition — in 2024 and now sit next to bottom of Division Two, 36 points adrift of the two promotion places. The County Championship is England's domestic red-ball tournament, the traditional multi-day format of the game, and climbing out of the second tier is the first step back to competing for the title.
For Nottinghamshire, the disruption is real but contained. They are the reigning county champions, and Temple's familiarity with the commercial side of the operation gives them continuity while they search for a permanent appointment. BBC Sport
Two counties, one swift swap. Kenyon gets the club he grew up watching. Lancashire get a leader tested across football and cricket. Nottinghamshire get an internal handover and a chance to reset. The rest will be decided on the field.
