For more than a decade, Joanna Taylor has helped deliver some of cricket’s biggest global events, but her work is largely invisible to fans. From venue inspections and event presentation requirements to team logistics and match-day operations, she sits at the centre of the machinery that turns World Cups from plans on paper into functioning tournaments.

Today, Taylor is one of the ICC’s Senior Event Leads and currently the ICC Lead for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales, overseeing planning and delivery while working closely with ECB Tournament Director Beth Barrett-Wild. Her remit is broad, covering everything from host coordination to ensuring ICC objectives are translated into reality. As she puts it, event delivery “covers absolutely everything.”

Based in Dubai and part of a relatively small events team, Taylor has become one of the key operational figures behind ICC tournaments. Her experience spans the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, the inaugural Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup, the Men’s Cricket World Cup in India, and the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, among others. Her current position follows several years with the ICC in various commercial and operational roles and more than three years with Yorkshire County Cricket Club managing partnerships.

Taylor’s route into events began with music festivals before sport became the obvious destination. “I always wanted to work in events. I loved music, I loved sport, and I realised my passion was sport, so I combined sports and events.”

Although she started in commercial partnerships, she found herself drawn to the operational side. “I think I thrive in the pressure and problem-solving. I’m in my element when I’m in event time.”

For Taylor, the greatest reward comes from seeing years of preparation come to life. Reflecting on the first Women’s Under-19 World Cup in 2023, she said, “I just feel very lucky to have been able to contribute to that… seeing what it means to the girls participating in their first exposure to a global event was really special.”

She has also witnessed the transformation of women’s cricket firsthand. “We’ve come so far, but I still think it’s the beginning of what’s to come.”

Having often been “one of the only women around the table,” Taylor believes progress depends on leaders creating opportunities. For the next generation, her advice is simple: “It’s only when you’re taken out of your comfort zone that you realise what you’re capable of.”