Through their media release on Friday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the appointment of Indra Nooyi as its first female Independent Director. Nooyi, who is an Indian American businesswoman and the current Chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, will join the board in June 2018, after she was universally affirmed for the post.

Talking about her appointment for the coveted posts, PepsiCo’s CEO said, “I love the game of cricket. I played it as a teenager and in college, and to this day, I cherish the lessons the game taught me about teamwork, integrity, respect, and healthy competition. I am thrilled to join the ICC as the first person to be appointed to this role.”

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Nooyi further added, “And I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board, ICC’s incredible partners, and cricketers around the world to grow our sport responsibly and give our fans a new reason to follow every ball and shot.”

Appointment of Nooyi for this post has been done in accordance the wide-ranging constitutional change to improve global governance, as was approved by the ICC Full Council in June 2017. She will be taking the position for a period of two years, following which there’s a provision for reappointment for two more terms, with a maximum six-year consecutive period of service.

This move got the approval only when the ICC’s Independent Ethics Officer and PepsiCo’s General Counsel reviewed it to test for any potential conflicts of interest or those which may arise in the future.

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Shashank Manohar, the ICC Chairman, welcomed the announcement. “We are delighted to welcome Indra to the ICC. Adding another independent director – particularly a female – is such an important step forward in improving our governance. To have someone of Indra’s caliber is fantastic news for the global game – she is frequently recognized as one of the most influential people in business today, running one of the world’s biggest corporations.”

Talking about the process of hiring the CEO PepsiCo, Manohar said, “We undertook a global search looking for the right candidate who would complement the existing skills and experience already on our Board. A cricket enthusiast with experience in the commercial sector and independent of the ICC, any Member or state or associated organization were the primary criteria and in Indra, we have found an exceptional new colleague and we look forward to working with her in the future.”