New Zealand Cricket Director Liz Dawson has been named as a finalist in the 2017 Women in Governance Awards.
Dawson is one of three in the running to win the Gender Advocacy Champion award, which will be announced at a Gala Dinner in Auckland on Thursday.
On the Board since 2013, Dawson has been instrumental in NZC’s push to drive change in women’s cricket.
Following a comprehensive report into the state of the women’s cricket, NZC has begun to undertake a number of projects to bring significant change to the game at all levels.
Females and Governance is one area of focus, which will target vastly increasing the number of women in governance across all levels. Dawson will lead a 10 member steering group to help guide the vision, with their first meeting later this month.
The number of women in governance roles has improved since the report was published - from 11% to 33% at NZC and from 4.7% to 16% in Major Associations (MA) - but further increase remain a priority.
Aiding the pathway for two new women MA Directors will be Sport New Zealand’s Mentor Support initiative.
Northern District’s Cricket Association Director Kylie Hawker-Green and Cricket Wellington Chair Sally Morrison will be two of seven to receive free mentoring directly related to Women in Governance.
The ICC has also recently made positive steps in the women’s game, announcing unprecedented coverage and prize money in the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
Every match of the tournament will be live-streamed, while the prize pool of US two million is 10 times that of the previous edition of the tournament.
The international governing body has also committed to creating parity in the men’s and women’s game in going happen, with their blueprint for this expected to be release after the women’s world cup.
