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In the early 1970s as West Indies cricket went through a period of rebuilding, two cricketers by the name of Shillingford played a role in helping West Indies through that difficult period. First Grayson Shillingford, a fast bowler, then the little master batsman Irving Shillingford represented the West Indies during that difficult period and helped lay the platform for the glorious years to come.

Their role was all the more important because, as Dominicans, they helped dispell the myth that Test quality West Indies cricketers had to come from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana.

Now as West Indies cricket goes through another period of introspection and rebuilding, another Shillingford has offered his services to the people of this region.

However, while Grayson and Irving used their skills on the field of play, new chief executive officer of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Gregory Shillingford, first cousin of the two former Test players, intends to use his management ability to guide West Indies cricket along the path to success.

The new CEO can truly be called a Caribbean man. He was born in Trinidad but is a citizen of Dominica and has been involved in cricket development in at least three Caribbean countries. From October 1 he started work at the WICB headquarters in Antigua.

Facing tough challenges is nothing new to Gregory as for many years he had a leading role in the often turbulent banana industry serving as CEO of the Dominica Banana Marketing Corporation for several years. For example, he has tested his negotiating skills in the international arena as a member of the negotiation team on behalf of the Windward Islands banana industry.

He spent four years as general manager of an agro-chemical company in Trinidad and Tobago and held the position of project manager for a leading construction company in Dominica.

But cricket has always been close to his heart even if his ability on the field did not match that of the more illustrious Grayson and Irving.

A former treasurer of the Dominica Cricket Association, he has also been a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control.

He has also played a leading role in sorting out the vexing problems of sub-standard cricket pitches in the region. He has been extensively involved in the design, construction and maintenance of cricket pitches for local, regional and international competition and has trained curators in Trinidad and Grenada in turf management and served as a consultant on the preparation of cricket pitches throughout Dominica and Grenada and at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad. He has also captained an Intermediate team and still plays the game.

His research on this subject has been published in the Journal of Sports Turf Research in Britain.

Gregory, 52 holds a BSc. Degree in agriculture and agricultural engineering and has undertaken post-graduate studies at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. In addition, he has attended marketing and production seminars in the United States.

The new CEO was selected following a rigorous recruitment process conducted with the assistance of the consulting firm, KPMG. The first stage was the development of a job description, followed by placement of advertisements in the regional Press and an executive search by KPMG.

There was good response to the advertisement and candidates who met the stated criteria were interviewed by the consulting firm to arrive at a suitable short list.

A sub-committee of the board including human resource specialist and WICB director, Ellis Lewis, interviewed the candidates on the shortlist. Following reference checks the committee was satisfied that Gregory was the best candidate.

The new CEO has already embarked on a process of familiarisation and review of the WICB’s operations. He has also expressed his intention to meet with as many of cricket’s key stakeholders as possible with a view to strengthening the board’s relationships. The WICB welcomes Gregory and looks forward to the cricket fraternity giving him their full support.

© The Barbados Nation