Sibley, 39, will join the ECB next week as the replacement for Terry Blake, who left earlier this year to pursue his own sports-related venture.
His brief is to boost cricket's commercial income at a time when the industry is concerned about the value of broadcast and sponsorship rights.
The ECB has already been hit by the failure to land a title sponsor for the National Cricket League in time for the start of the season. The competition was previously backed by Norwich Union (Marketing, April 24).
Sibley will also be charged with recruiting further backers for the twenty20 Cup, a new tournament that aims to attract younger consumers and families to the sport. The Cup's official launch takes place in London next month, and is being marketed as a baseball-style tournament.
The ECB's current broadcast agreements with Channel 4 and BSkyB expire in 2005, which undoubtedly influenced its decision to appoint Sibley.
He was head of cricket and rugby at Octagon CSI for three-and-a-half years until made redundant in January. Prior to that, he spent more than two years as Sky's head of sports development.
"TV revenue is the ECB's main source of income and the renegotiation of these deals will be crucial for sponsors and the growth of the game," he said.
Another challenge facing Sibley will be the looming row over Zimbabwe's controversial tour of England this summer. Activists are targeting it because of the human rights record of President Robert Mugabe's regime.
High-profile protests are likely to be discomfiting for Test match sponsor Npower.
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