Boss back as The Jockey Club interim ‘boss’

Article posted by Coliseum, December 1^st, 2024

Image: The Jockey Club

The horse racing company – The Jockey Club (UK) – recently announced that Charlie Boss has been appointed the Interim Group Chief Executive.

‘THE JOCKEY CLUB’ stated that Boss, who was the Chief Commercial Officer at The Jockey Club between March 2021 and April 2023 and went on to take up the same role with the Premier League team – the Southampton Football Club (UK) – will rejoin the organization on December 9^th before taking over from Nevin Truesdale on an interim basis from December 19^th.

London (UK)-based The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organization in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain’s famous racecourses, including the 75,000-capacity Aintree Racecourse, the 67,500-capacity Cheltenham Racecourse, the 130,000-capacity Epsom Downs Racecourse, and both the 20,000-capacity Rowley Mile Racecourse and the 20,000-capacity July Course in Newmarket, amongst the other horse racing assets such as the National Stud and the property and land management company, The Jockey Club Estates.

‘THE JOCKEY CLUB’ further stated that The Jockey Club announced in June that Nevin Truesdale would be leaving at the end of 2024 after 11 years at the organization having asked the Board of Stewards to start the process of finding his successor.

Enthused Baroness Dido Harding, Senior Steward, “We are delighted to welcome Charlie back to The Jockey Club as the Interim Group Chief Executive. He did an outstanding job as a member of The Jockey Club’s Executive team which led the organization through the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 and those who worked with him will know him to be an extremely talented and high energy commercial leader. His deep understanding of The Jockey Club, our teams and the opportunities and challenges that we and the wider sport face will allow him to really hit the ground running. As a result, he is ideally placed to lead the Executive team and the wider business through our biggest events of the year at the Cheltenham and Aintree.”

Explaining the need for an Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Baroness Harding continued, “The role of the Chief Executive of The Jockey Club is unique in British racing. It requires a broad range of expertise to run what is not only the largest commercial organization and employer in horseracing in the United Kingdom but also a 274- year-old membership organization which aims to support the long- term future of British racing and in doing so provide the very best for a hugely diverse customer base – from the participants and the owners to the racing fans and the local communities we operate in. We have always been clear that finding the right person for the role was the most important priority rather than appointing by a certain date. We are making good progress in this search but with most senior leaders at this level having substantial notice periods appointing an interim CEO ensures that the organization has clear leadership in place as we go into the busiest time of the year.”

Thanking Truesdale for his ongoing dedication to his role, Baroness Harding added, “When Nevin informed us of his intention to step down as the Group Chief Executive he made it very clear that he wished to leave at the end of December. Over the past five months Nevin has continued to demonstrate strong leadership as well as an unwavering passion and commitment which has been a hallmark of more than 11 successful years at The Jockey Club and for that the Board of Stewards are tremendously grateful. It would not have been fair on Nevin to ask him to stay beyond the timeframe which was previously agreed and he leaves with all our thanks and very best wishes.”

Boss, who is also a Board Trustee of London Sport and sits on the Sports Steering Group of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC – an expert in child protection and safeguarding that offers training, resources and support for keeping children safe in sport), has worked across a variety of sectors, including running Disney’s sports businesses in Europe and Africa and in senior brand and marketing roles at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and The Football Association (FA). He was also a Board Member of the pool betting operator Britbet (a company owned by the vast majority of British racecourses) during his time at The Jockey Club.

London Sport is a charity that exists to help all Londoners live longer, healthier and happier lives through being active.

London (UK)-based the Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871 and was the sport’s international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as the World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promotes and runs the sport, organizes international matches for the England national team and educates and trains the players and the officials.

London (UK)-based The Football Association or The FA is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory.

Speaking about his appointment, Boss said, “For me, racing remains a cherished and important part of British life. Not only is it an industry which contributes more than £4 billion to the British economy, it is the United Kingdom’s second most attended sport. My time as the Chief Commercial Officer at The Jockey Club was one of the most enjoyable, challenging and rewarding of my career and I am both proud and excited to be returning to The Jockey Club as the Interim Group Chief Executive. I very much look forward to working with The Jockey Club’s fantastic teams again and with the stakeholders across the sport some of whom I already know and the others I am yet to meet.”

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