Leshia Hawkins is galvanising recreational cricket across England and Wales. As Managing Director of the Recreational Game at the England & Wales Cricket Board, she is responsible for the health and growth of cricket at the grassroots level, where the game is led and developed through 38 Recreational Cricket Boards and Foundations. “Without the recreational game, there is no other cricket—and none of us have any jobs,” Hawkins emphasizes, underlining the foundational importance of her role.
She leads a team of 40 staff through five direct reports, collaborating closely with partner charities to maximize investment and opportunities for local clubs and communities. Her approach is deeply focused on inclusion: “If you need things to happen, get a woman to do it. They just make the place more welcoming,” she says, reflecting her belief that diverse leadership strengthens both community and culture.
Hawkins’ current work builds on a career-long commitment to growing participation and opportunity in sport. Her previous roles include CEO of Cricket Wales, where she expanded women’s and girls’ cricket so that two-thirds of clubs offered female playing opportunities—significantly above the UK average. She has also held other senior roles at the ECB, including Head of Operations for Participation and Growth, and began her cricket administration career in commercial development and sponsorship for both women’s and grassroots cricket.
Her leadership extends beyond cricket. She was a non-Executive Director at England Athletics and is a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club Women’s Players & Fixtures Sub-Committee, bringing her expertise in strategy, governance, and stakeholder engagement to multiple levels of sport.
Hawkins reflects on the responsibility of being a visible female leader: “If you smash through a glass ceiling, perceived or actual, you have to reach back through it and pull others through after you.” For her, success is measured not only in growth metrics or participation numbers, but in the cultural shifts she can effect: a game that welcomes players and leaders of all genders, backgrounds, and abilities.