Who is Sarah Keane? Meet the new CEO of Ireland Cricket

October 23, 2025

Ireland cricket have confirmed the appointment of Sarah Keane as the new CEO, with her new role set to commence in March 2026.

Her appointment makes her the first permanent female chief executive of an International Cricket Council (ICC) full member nation.

Cricket Ireland had been on the lookout for a successor for Warren Deutrom, who left the organisation in August after 19 years in the position.

One of Deutrom’s biggest accomplishments was helping Ireland be awarded Test status.

However, it’s a new era for Irish cricket and Keane seemingly has all the minerals to further enhance the reputation of the sport across the country.

Who is Sarah Keane?

Keane heads into the role with plenty of experience, having spent the last 21 years in the same position at Swim Ireland.

During her tenure, Ireland achieved historic medal-hauls on the international performance front, and when announcing her departure, a statement said she oversaw “unprecedented growth, transformation, and success on both the national and international stages”.

Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry were the two athletes who won gold and bronze medals respectively.

Keane was also the first female President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) from 2017, stepping down at end of 2024.

During that period, she oversaw Ireland’s participation in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Born in Dublin, Keane is also a qualified solicitor with credentials in corporate management and governance.

She is also an accomplished athlete, having swum at a national level while competing internationally in water polo.

What will be her role as Ireland cricket CEO?

As well as helping guide the expansion of cricket across Ireland at all levels and genders, Keane will have a host of priorities on her itinerary looking forward.

Those include major strategic projects, including Ireland hosting the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2030.

Sharing more on her role, Keane said: “Cricket is a truly global sport, and Ireland now stands on the threshold of tremendous opportunity – from the Olympic opportunity with the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympics, the accelerated development of the women’s game, and the potential of bringing different communities together, to Ireland hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2030.

“I’m particularly keen to explore further avenues for commercial growth to ensure sustainable investment, and I look forward to supporting the ambitious plans for the development of the National Cricket Centre on the National Sports Campus and the upgrades to vital cricket infrastructure at Malahide, Stormont and others.”

One of her priorities will also be commercial growth: increasing revenue via broadcast rights, sponsorship, digital/streaming, ticketing, and leveraging big events.