Tom Harrison has been appointed the England and Wales Cricket Board's new chief executive, and will take up the role in January.

Harrison replaces David Collier, who left the position last month after an eventful 10-year tenure.

It will be 42-year-old Harrison's second stint at the ECB, following a near four-year stay in the marketing department at Lord's from 2003.

A former first-class cricketer, who had a brief career with Derbyshire, Harrison was not one of the obvious front-runners for the post when it became clear Collier was leaving.

But ECB chairman Giles Clarke said: "Tom has come through a rigorous recruitment process which included us meeting with candidates in leadership positions from cricket, other sports and from outside of the industry.

"He was the unanimous choice of the interview panel who were impressed with his energy, passion for the game and his positive, bold, creative and ambitious vision for the future of cricket in England and Wales.

"Tom has a proven track record of success in his career to date and a wealth of relevant experience both in the UK and internationally. In Tom, we believe we have found a leader with charisma and vision."

Harrison will be joining from international sports marketing agency IMG, where he is head of cricket.

He said: "As a lifelong cricket fan, I feel extremely honoured and privileged to have been offered this opportunity to lead the ECB as its new chief executive officer.

"I am a passionate supporter of the game across all formats, at all levels, and I am genuinely excited by the substantial opportunities that the game has moving forward in this country."