Canterbury Cricket has appointed former international Richard Reid as its chief executive.

Reid, 42, will take up the position which has been vacant since the winter.

Reid, the son of former New Zealand captain John R Reid, played for New Zealand in nine One-Day Internationals.

A former executive with international sportswear company Nike, Reid said he saw his job in Christchurch as a challenge.

"There are some analogies you can apply in sport, one of them is that when Canterbury rugby is strong, New Zealand rugby is strong, and I think the same applies to Canterbury cricket," he said.

"Christchurch is the cricket capital of New Zealand and I am looking forward to the position because of the quality of the product and the personnel," he said.

After making his first-class debut for Wellington in 1979/80, Reid transferred to South Africa where he played for Transvaal B.

He joined Nike as a sales representative in Auckland and then moved back to Wellington in 1990, where he started his first-class cricket career, to set up a Wellington office. He returned to Auckland in 1994 where he was appointed marketing manager for the company and in late-1995 was appointed New Zealand general manager for the company.

In mid-1999 he was asked to go to Nigeria and help set up a distribution company for Nike in West Africa. He returned to New Zealand and quipped today that he didn't expect the problems he experienced in Nigeria to repeat themselves in Canterbury.

Reid said he was not an expert in Canterbury cricket but he did understand the way sports bodies operated in New Zealand and he would bring an outsider's perspective to the position, which he felt was a healthy thing in any organisation.

"I see my role with Canterbury Cricket as ensuring that it is properly positioned to take the game forward at all levels.

"To be a success, the relationship and aims of all partners, but specifically Districts, Clubs and Schools, is essential.

"If Canterbury Cricket is to be successful it won't be just down to me, it will be because everyone is on the same page," Reid said.

Reid said he had seen how sport operated from one side of the table and was keen to work in the environment of the other side.

While the prospect of a venue for cricket in Christchurch has been contentious over the last 12 months, Reid said he knows nothing about the issue.

But, he added, access to cricket on grounds shared with rugby was always going to be a battle with the encroachment of the Super 12 into cricket season.

"A city like Christchurch has to have access to a full-time cricket facility. Wellington has got one and so has Hamilton," Reid said.

He scored 1789 first-class runs at 24.84, with one century during his career. His first ODIs were in the 1987/88 season against England and then later his Shell Cup form for Wellington in 1990/91 resulted in his being selected again for the World Series finals in Australia, during which he achieved his highest ODI score of 64 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

A hard-hitting batsman, who scored 97 against Viv Richards' 1986/87 West Indian team for Auckland, Reid featured in some outstanding batting displays in Shell Cup cricket for Wellington in the early-1990s when he and Martin Crowe opened the innings in a manner which had crowds queuing up for games at 7am in the morning.

Canterbury Cricket chairman David Shackleton commented: "We are delighted to have attracted someone with Richard's experience in the business of sport.

"In addition to his business experience he will bring a fresh viewpoint to the issues facing Canterbury Cricket and from our discussions to date he has shown some innovative ideas."

The appointment is for a three-year term.

© CricInfo