Chief Executive Officer of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Chris Dehring, has unveiled an ambitious three-pronged strategy aimed at transforming West Indies cricket both on and off the field. In his first formal address since rejoining the organisation two months ago, Dehring identified grassroots development, regional leadership expansion, and commercial revitalisation as the key pillars that will guide his tenure.

Dehring, who previously played a major role in West Indies cricket during the early 2000s, brings decades of experience in media, finance, and sports management. His return, he said, has been marked by optimism, professionalism, and a renewed sense of purpose within the organisation.

“It’s been 60 days since I rejoined Cricket West Indies—nearly 30 years after I first joined—and I must say, it has been an exciting return,” he said. “This is not the same board I left years ago. It is now a highly professional organisation with a cadre of young, enthusiastic professionals.”

“My role really is to ensure that these teams, the Board and the Territorial Boards are given the fuel, the resources and the energy to bring what is already a very comprehensive strategic plan to life, to ensure that whatever gaps there are, we are filling those gaps. And even those plans that are already in place to fill gaps, we have to make sure that they are retooled, the process is strong and that the West Indies cricket can be sustainable.”

Dehring's top priority is to bolster the region’s grassroots cricket infrastructure, which he described as the “bedrock” of the game. This includes increasing investment in youth development programmes and ensuring that the next generation of cricketers is given the tools and pathways needed to succeed at the highest level.

“We must enhance the raw material that feeds our cricket. This means supporting the youth pipeline to ensure a continuous flow of emerging talent,” he said, stressing that all plans must align with CWI’s wider strategic vision.

Positioning the West Indies as a central force in cricket across the Americas is another focus for Dehring. As the only ICC full member in the region, CWI will seek to extend its influence beyond the Caribbean into North, Central, and South America.

“We're talking about cricket in the Americas, where we are ostensibly the big brother of the region as the only full member country of the ICC and therefore we have to re-establish our role as cricket has grown tremendously in the Americas, quite almost under the radar in many of the countries,” he explained. “Everybody knows how much it has grown in countries like the United States and Canada, but even in South America, Latin America, it has started to really grow. And we need to make sure that we take advantage of that opportunity.”

Dehring stressed the urgent need to close the widening commercial gap between West Indies and its global competitors. He called for innovation in product development, fan engagement, and revenue generation, while also announcing a forthcoming digital transformation initiative aimed at enhancing the organisation’s data-driven decision-making capabilities.

“We do not operate in a vacuum. We are part of a global sporting industry, and we must employ every strategy to compete—especially on the commercial front. That means turning every department into a contributor to revenue generation,” he said.

“To that point, one of the core underlying things that we're going to undertake is an entire digital transformation project. And digital transformation is not just a fancy buzzword, it really is a whole resetting of the mindset of an organisation to make sure that we're much more data-driven in our decision-making. But to be data-driven, you have to be able to generate the data, the kind of data that you need throughout the length and breadth of our organisation.”

He said this applies not only to commercial growth but also to performance on the field. “It's very easy for us to look at the output of West Indies cricket and critique it, but we need to understand the process and the data that's going into that process, the data that's available before you even understand the output.”

With a packed home schedule, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of West Indies' 1975 World Cup triumph, and a new commercial campaign for the upcoming series against Australia, Dehring’s vision is already being put into action.

“We are committed to a West Indies cricket that is not only competitive on the field but also sustainable, respected, and vibrant across every aspect of its operation.”