Anthony McGrath has been named Essex's new Director of Cricket as part of a management restructuring following the resignation of chief executive John Stephenson earlier this month.
At 48, McGrath will retain his position as men's head coach, a role he has held since 2018, while now overseeing all professional cricket aspects at the club, including men's, women's, Academy, and Player Pathway.
With Essex being one of the eight inaugural Tier 1 teams in the upcoming women's competition starting in 2025, McGrath will collaborate closely with the new women's head coach once that role is filled.
McGrath, in his seventh season with Essex, was considered a potential candidate for the director of cricket position at his former club, Yorkshire, with the application deadline earlier this week. He was also a potential replacement for Ottis Gibson as Yorkshire's coach, with Gibson's contract ending this season.
However, McGrath chose to stay with Essex, the club he helped lead to a County Championship and Vitality Blast double in 2019, and a Bob Willis Cup win in 2020 during the Covid-affected summer.
"I am honoured to take up this position," McGrath said. "The club gave me the chance to become Head Coach in 2018, and the support I've received has been crucial to our success. I have a network of exceptional coaches who consistently deliver elite performance. This role allows us to shape the strategic vision of cricket played by men, women, boys, and girls in the county."
His promotion follows that of Dan Feist, Essex's former operations manager, now in charge of the club's day-to-day operations as general manager. McGrath will continue to work alongside the club's Cricket Committee, chaired by former Essex and England batter Jason Gallian.
Anu Mohindru, Essex's chair, expressed the club's excitement at McGrath's appointment: "We are delighted to appoint Anthony to the newly-created role of Director of Cricket. Under his tenure as Head Coach, we have achieved sustained success, including the unmatched accomplishment of winning the Championship and the T20 in the same season in 2019. This will help create a clear identity and playing style across all our representative teams, and I look forward to seeing these teams thrive under his expanded leadership."