Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) President Dr Donovan Bennett says Cricket West Indies (CWI) made the right choice in hiring Chris Dehring as its chief executive officer (CEO).

CWI announced Dehring’s appointment yesterday, roughly two months after the role was left vacant by Englishman Johnny Grave, who served from 2017. Now it has appointed a Jamaican from a pool of over 50 applicants worldwide.

Bennett says such an appointment has been “a long time coming”, but does not think Jamaica will get preferential treatment from CWI.

“We have a lot of competent people in the Caribbean that can carry that sort of mantle, so honestly, I don’t see the need to bring someone from outside to be with us. So, on that point, I’m quite happy and quite comfortable,” he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday. “I expect the relationship to be stronger with all the territories, not just Jamaica. I don’t think Chris would come into a job and be inclined to favour Jamaica in any way. I know he’s a very balanced person and I expect a stronger relationship [with the JCA] and I expect more involvement, but I also expect that for all the territories.”

Dehring is known both for his experience as a businessman and for serving in various capacities in football and cricket. He, along with Peter Bunting and Mark Golding, founded Dehring, Bunting and Golding Investment Bank in 1992.

Dehring is also the CEO of ReadyTV, a Jamaican subscription television network, and is a founder of SportsMax, one of the Caribbean’s largest cable sports networks.

In sports, he has experience as a cricketer and footballer at the youth level. As a sports administrator, he was the CEO of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, which was hosted in the West Indies, and also served as head of the Jamaica Football Federation’s marketing committee for roughly a year, since early 2023. Bennett describes his experience as vast.

“I had every confidence that Chris would be selected for the job,” Bennett said. “I am overjoyed because I know that Chris has a lot of experience. He has all the ingredients to do an excellent job and I am overjoyed also that he found the time to take this on because I know he’s a man of many facets. For him to decide to come and be a part of us for a period of time is really commendable on his part.”

CWI says Dehring’s appointment reflects what it describes as its “steadfast commitment to attracting top-tier talent to lead West Indies cricket”, and CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow says it is consistent with CWI’s priority to recruit what he says is exceptional leadership to drive its mission forward.

“Chris Dehring represents the best of the best — an innovator, strategist, business magnate, and passionate advocate for West Indies cricket,” Shallow said in a press release. “His return as an executive at West Indies cricket signals the dawn of an exciting new era as we work to reclaim our position as a dominant force in world cricket.”

Dehring says West Indies Cricket has always had a special place in his heart.

“As a unifying force and a symbol of pride for our region, I am honoured to return to an organisation that holds great significance to our people,” he said. “Together with the CWI team and stakeholders, I am committed to driving innovation, fostering talent, and reigniting the passion for West Indies cricket, both at home and globally.”

Dehring officially starts the role on February 1 and will be based at the CWI’s headquarters at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.