Matt Prior was a key member of an England cricket team that for many has been the benchmark for the modern age. As a wicketkeeper-batsman he was a member of 3 Ashes-winning teams, hit 7 Test centuries, made 4099 runs and was responsible for 256 dismissals. In an England team that rose to number one in the International Cricket Council rankings he was widely seen as the lynchpin, his energy and team spirit evident both on and off the pitch. Since retirement in 2015 Prior has moved seamlessly into business to found ONE PRO Group.
Matt entered the world of international cricket during a period of transition for England, with many of the senior players retiring amidst a string of heavy defeats. After a run of poor performances Strauss was appointed captain and a slow turn around started to take shape. Key to this was the reinvigoration of the culture within the dressing room – the team was charged with creating its own vision and challenged to hold themselves to account for their professionalism and work ethic. Matt played a central role in this process, appointed by Strauss to manage the culture, create cohesion, and promote understanding of each individuals’ unique motivators.
The cohesion on and off the pitch fostered a period of unprecedented success. In 2009 England regained the Ashes against all expectations, and in 2010-11 won the Ashes on Australian turf for the first time in 24 years.
Victory against India in 2011 saw England become the number one Test nation in the World, and in 2013 and 2015 they won successive home Ashes. In 2013 Prior was named England Cricketer of the Year.
A persistent achilles injury forced Matt to take early retirement in 2015, but his journey has not stopped there. Drawing inspiration from his second love cycling he went on to found One PRO Cycling. Having operated a mens pro cycling team for two years his focus has now turned to the women’s tour, with the ambition to field a women’s UCI pro cycling team in the 2020 season. Alongside this he has developed ONE PRO Group, with ONE PRO Nutrition and ONE PRO Insurance products also being developed.
All of the leadership and team work experience absorbed during Matt’s cricketing career is now being applied to building a team and a business brand with a strong set of guiding values, organisational culture, clear communication and a sense of personal and collective responsibility. As an experienced leader his ability to inspire people and set a vision has been invaluable.
