JON Graham has been appointed as Worcestershire's first managing director to help deliver the vision of making the New Road club a sustainable business.

Lifelong supporter Graham has already made an impact during nearly four years as business development director, commercial director and latterly as general manager.

Graham developed, created and launched the Worcestershire Rapids T20 brand in 2014.

He and his commercial team won the best in class at business of cricket awards (BOCA) in the same year and has made significant changes in the day-to-day running of the business behind the scenes.

Now Wordsley-born Graham, aged 42, will be working in harness with new County chief executive officer Tom Scott in striving "to take the club to the next level."

He said: "The managing director role gives me the mandate to deliver the vision that, not just Tom and I believe in, but everybody at the club is striving for. I feel incredibly proud to be managing director of Worcestershire County Cricket Club. It is a massive responsibly and one that I relish.

"The support of my partner, my children and parents has been vital throughout my career and will continue to be so as we move this business forward. We are in a strong position to make some real change, some real positive strides and its exciting time ahead.

"With Tom, we are very lucky because he brings a wealth of experience as a successful businessman but, like me, he is a supporter of the club and we are in safe hands as far as decisions are made at the top table.

"With the changes going on in cricket at the highest level, we need to make sure we've got Tom operating at a level that he's looking after the future of the club. There are also some significant projects in the pipeline, most importantly finishing off the development of the ground. Tom’s expertise is going to be invaluable on these significant projects.

Graham, who once had a trial as a 14-year-old pace bowler with the County, is crystal clear on the ultimate vision for Worcestershire CCC.

"As far as the MD role is concerned, it is about making sure the day to day running of the business is commercially robust. All infrastructure, all costs, all income streams, will be under constant scrutiny. The club is in a solid position to move forward but it’s important that we repair the roof while the sun is shining."

"The vision is to make the club a sustainable business in its own right outside of cricket.

"Cricket is something we are very fortunate to have here, something that we have got to protect, something we have got to invest in.

"But ultimately we've got to look at other ways of generating income for the business.

"We need to make sure we have a diverse offering and that with everything we do we must be passionate about setting very high standards and be proactive in dealing with our customers."

Scott said: “John's appointment as managing director reflects the club's ambition to grow its commercial offering and ultimately develop the stand along New Road. This will create significant new income for the club to help sustain its future and create further income for cricket.

“The County Ground New Road offers an iconic setting able to offer a combination of first-class cricket and first class commercial opportunities."