Updates
Racing updates Industry statistics
Updates
Racing updates Industry statistics

Board and Executive

The main role of the BHA’s Board is to provide strategic leadership and direction. The Board is comprised of ten Directors and meets eight times per year.

Click to view BHA memorandum and articles of association

Click to view public register of Board interests

Click to view public register of Executive interests

Summary Board minutes

At the BHA Board meeting in January 2020, it was agreed that summary minutes for BHA Board meetings should be published on the BHA website. Please click HERE to view summary minutes for BHA board meetings.

Joe Saumarez Smith
Chair

Joe Saumarez Smith has worked across multiple industries, including journalism, investment banking and education but for the past 20 years he has advised and worked closely with lotteries, governments, investment banks and operating companies on strategy, operational restructuring, finance and merger and acquisition.

He has been an investor in multiple technology-related start-ups. Successful exits include online B2C gaming business IPS (sold to Leo Vegas plc in 2018) and gaming and lottery platform supplier Bede Gaming (sold to Gauselmann Gaming in 2020). He was also an early stage investor in the Rapha cycling brand and is currently an active investor in more than 30 early stage companies.

Joe has an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Thouron scholar. He has a deep-rooted passion and understanding of horseracing, having been an avid follower of the industry since the age of eight. He was on the Jockey Club Graduate Programme and worked at the Racing Post. Over the past 25 years he has been a regular race goer and has been to more than 200 tracks around the world. He has written extensively about horseracing and gambling for a variety of publications, including the Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph, and Bloomberg. He has owned shares in more than 50 horses. Joe has been on the Board of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) since 2014 and was appointed Chair in June 2022.

Julie Harrington
Chief Executive

Julie was appointed Chief Executive of the BHA in January 2021, having previously been a BHA Board member between 2014 and 2019. She is a member of the Commercial Committee, the Industry Programme Group, and the Rules Committee. Julie is also a Board member for the Horseracing Betting Levy Board.

Julie was a senior executive with Northern Racing for eight years, including a spell as Managing Director of Uttoxeter. She is one of the most experienced leaders in sport, with a strong background in consumer, operational and regulatory roles, and has a clear understanding of the financial challenges facing participants.

As the Operations Director for The FA, Julie was responsible for Wembley Stadium and St George’s Park, the FA training facility. Her early career was with Whitbread Inns as Regional Marketing Director and then with British Airways as Retail Sector Director. Prior to joining the BHA, Julie was Chief Executive of British Cycling, where she dealt with some significant regulatory challenges.

 

David Armstrong
Member's Nominated Director

David was appointed to the BHA Board as a Racecourse Association Member’s Nominated Director in February 2019. He is a member of the Commercial Committee and the Audit Committee.

David joined the Racecourse Association as Chief Executive in February 2019 after working with Wasps Holdings as Group Chief Executive. He has also held senior positions as Chairman of Pentathlon GB and England Netball and as NED/Audit Chair of the World Athletics Championships 2017. Before moving over to the sport sector in 2013, David held senior finance/commercial positions with PepsiCo, Compass Group, Diageo, and Lonrho, providing a broad overview of global leisure and retail markets. David is an Advisory Board member of Oakwell Sports.

He also sits on the board of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, Racing Digital and Racecourse Technical Services Limited.

David has had horses in training with William Muir, the most successful of which, Countless Times, enjoyed a double success at Lingfield Park.

John Ferguson
Member’s Nominated Director

In October 2022, John was appointed to the Board of the BHA as one of the two Member’s Nominated Directors nominated collectively by the Racehorse Owners Association, the Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the National Trainers’ Federation.

John’s career in racing has been extensive and varied. His roles have included working as stable staff and as an assistant trainer to Sir Michael Stoute, as a trainer of 287 National Hunt winners (including Grade 1s with Ruacana and Parlour Games), and as a racing manager, owner, breeder and bloodstock agent.

He also represented Darley and Godolphin for over 22 years from 1994 to 2017, including as Chief Executive of Godolphin.

John is the owner of Kind Bloodstock in the UK, and in 2021 he set up Natalma Bloodstock, a bloodstock investment company which has broodmares in Europe, the United States and Australia. He is also a member of The Jockey Club, the US Jockey Club and has a Japan Racing Association owners licence.

David Jones
Regulatory Independent Non-Executive Director

David was appointed to the BHA Board in January 2021. He is the BHA’s Senior Independent Director (SID) and chairs the Commercial Committee. He also chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Rules Committee, Integrity Advisory Committee, Nominations Committee, and People and Remuneration Committee.

David has an in-depth knowledge of the racing industry and its racing regulation from his 10 years as a BHA Steward and three years as a member of the Racecourse Committee at Kempton Park, as well as through his ownership of racehorses. He has undertaken important project work on behalf of the sport in recent years, including chairing the Whip Steering Group.

He has experience in professional sport as he was Chair of Gloucestershire Country Cricket Club and was a member of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s New Competition Board which created The Hundred. In this capacity he worked extensively with the Director of the Women’s Professional Game.

David is a Trustee of the Zoological Society of London and Sing for Pleasure.

All of his Executive career was spent in senior roles at Waitrose and John Lewis, where he also sat on the Partnership’s Main Board. In his last role at Waitrose he was the Board Ally of the LGBT+ Group and has been a board sponsor for EDI at the BHA.

 

Charlie Parker
Member's Nominated Director

Charlie was appointed to the BHA Board in July 2020 as one of the two Member’s Nominated Directors appointed collectively by the ROA, Thoroughbred Breeders Association and National Trainers Federation. He is a member of the BHA Nominations Committee and BHA Audit Committee.

Charlie is currently serving his second term as President of the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA). He chairs The Thoroughbred Group which represents the common interests of British racing’s owners, trainers, jockeys, stable staff and thoroughbred breeders.

He owns and manages Crimbourne Bloodstock, a privately-run stud business, and is involved in a number of property development and investment projects. A chartered accountant by profession, Charlie’s commercial business career was in membership-based health and fitness businesses and commercial golf courses. Charlie has broad commercial and financial experience including property development, insurance, and leisure businesses.

Charlie has been an owner/breeder for over 25 years and has both flat and national hunt horses in training.

Raj Parker
Regulatory Independent Non-Executive Director

Raj was appointed to the BHA Board in January 2022. He is Chair of the BHA’s Integrity and Advisory Committee and the Rules Committee; and is a member of the People & Remuneration Committee.

He has significant experience in integrity and governance issues for sporting institutions and is a Senior Legal Adviser at the Financial Conduct Authority. He has handled many investigations involving integrity issues and outside of sports law, he has undertaken judicial roles in criminal trials and financial services cases and is a Grand Court Judge of the Cayman Islands.

Raj is a former Arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and is a member of the Sport Resolutions’ Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators. He is currently an Independent Anti-corruption Hearing Officer for the Tennis Integrity Supervisory Board and is Vice President of the Basketball Arbitration Tribunal (BAT). Raj sits as a Panel member on The FA Judicial Panel and is Deputy Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel. He also sits on the World Athletics Judicial Panel.

Wilf Walsh
Member's Nominated Director

Wilf was appointed to the BHA Board in October 2021. He is a member of the BHA’s Nominations Committee.

Wilf is Chair of the Racecourse Association. He is a shareholder in various bloodstock businesses and an owner with several horses in training.

He was previously CEO of Carpetright plc before becoming Chair of the Group business, Nestware Holdings. Prior to that he was Chair of Fortuna Entertainment Group as well as being with the Gala Coral Group for fifteen years as Managing Director and a Non-Executive Director.

Kyrsten Halley
Independent Non-Executive Director

Kyrsten was appointed to the BHA Board in May 2023. She specialises in brand strategy, digital marketing and delivering transformational change. She is the Marketing Director at Aldi, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket, with more than 10-years’ experience in senior leadership positions, including as Head of Brand for Ryvita.

Kyrsten has recently taken up the new role of Board Equine Welfare Lead, to support the Board in ensuring that it has appropriate oversight of, and meets its responsibilities in relation to, equine welfare. She is the BHA’s member-nominated representative on the Board of Trustees for the industry’s aftercare charity, Retraining of Racehorses. A lifelong horseracing fan, she enjoys spending time with her retired thoroughbred racehorse, Eclair Mag, and competing in dressage competitions.

Tara Warren
Independent Non-Executive Director

Tara formally took up her appointment on 1 December 2023, having been acting in an observer capacity on the BHA Board since May 2023. Tara is an Executive Director and Board member at West Ham United Football Club. She has a strong commercial background and extensive experience in digital marketing. Tara leads the delivery of the club’s strategic and commercial priorities, including its broadcast rights, stadium and stakeholder management, domestic and international growth and digital and data functions. She is also the Director responsible for the club’s equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy. Tara is the BHA Board’s Diversity & Inclusion Champion.

A regular racegoer, prior to joining West Ham, Tara held a number of marketing, commercial and business development roles, including with estates management company, Savills UK, Romford-based shopping and leisure centre, The Brewery, and Morgan Stanley.

Catherine Beloff
General Counsel

Catherine is the BHA’s General Counsel and Company Secretary, having previously held the position of Director of Legal, Governance and Business Partners.

Catherine is responsible for all aspects of the BHA’s general legal counsel, company secretariat, corporate governance, litigation and data protection, and also oversees the HR team.

Prior to joining the BHA, Catherine was a senior member of the DLA Piper sports team for 10 years. Catherine has extensive experience of advising sports governing bodies, clubs and media rights owners in relation to regulatory and commercial issues connected with sport, in proceedings in the High Court and before international and domestic sports disciplinary and arbitral tribunals. Catherine is also chair of the British Association for Sport and Law.

Alison Enticknap
Director of Strategy and Change

Alison joined the BHA in 2018, originally as Head of Stakeholder and Internal Engagement. In August 2022 she took up the role of Director of Strategy and Change and is the BHA’s Executive lead on the coordination of industry strategy, working closely with colleagues across the industry.

The Strategy and Change department is responsible for programme management and planning, including oversight of cross-industry projects, and building capability and capacity in areas such as insights and analysis, and project delivery.

Before joining the BHA, Alison held the position of Head of Communications at the RSPB. Prior to that, Alison was Head of Media & External Relations for the Natural History Museum and held media and communications roles at T-Mobile, Powergen, and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Alongside studying for a PhD in Government, she began her working life as a policy advisor and lecturer.

 

Brant Dunshea
Chief Regulatory Officer

Brant was appointed Chief Regulatory Officer in April 2018, having previously been in the post of Director of Integrity and Regulatory Operations since September 2016, and having joined the BHA as Head of Raceday Operations in March 2015.

Brant is an experienced administrator and regulator having held various senior roles within racing-related industries in Britain and Australia over the past 20 years.  As Chief Regulatory Officer, his reports include the Director of Equine Health and Welfare, the Chief Medical Advisor, Director of Integrity and Regulation and the Head of Stewarding.  He also has accountability for integrity, licensing and anti-doping, as well as managing the team of equine welfare and integrity officers and overriding responsibility for the judges, starters, clerks of scales, racecourse and inspectors of courses, and the BHA’s role in liaison with the Point to Point, Arab Racing and Pony Racing Authorities.

Prior to joining the BHA, Brant was Chief Operating Officer (2010-2014) with Harness Racing Victoria with overall management responsibility for all Integrity and Racing Regulatory functions. Brant also holds a Bachelor of Legal Studies (Victoria University) and Graduate Diploma Sports Law (University of Melbourne), where he specialised in International Sports Law and Racing Industry Law & Regulation.

James Given
Director of Equine Regulation, Safety and Welfare

James qualified as a vet in 1990 and began his racing career as Assistant Trainer to Mark Johnston in 1995. After three years in this job he won a scholarship to study training methods in Dubai. James started training in his own right in November 1998 from a yard based at Wolverhampton racecourse. In April 1999 he moved his operation to his current base in Lincolnshire.

He is a Group-race-winning trainer both in Britain and abroad and counts amongst his most notable winners the popular Hugs Dancer who won the 2002 Ebor and 2003 Chester Cup, and was beaten only two lengths in the 2003 Caulfield Cup before a top 10 finish in the Melbourne Cup that year.

James is also a long-standing member of the BHA’s Ethics Committee (and is the current Chair) as well as a Trustee of the British Racing School (BRS). He has also been a member of the industry’s Horse Welfare Board since its inception in early 2019. In February 2020, the Welfare Board published its five-year strategic plan for the welfare of horses bred for racing.

Greg Swift
Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs
Greg joined the BHA  in October 2022, from his role in government as Head of News and Press Secretary to the Foreign Secretary. He has previously held roles as Head of Communications for the Department for Exiting the European Union and at Number 10 as the Prime Minister’s Official Deputy Spokesperson and Head of News.
Prior to that he had a long career in national newspapers, including as Assistant Editor for the Daily Express.
Greg is a keen horseracing fan and joins the BHA to lead a newly restructured Communications and Corporate Affairs department
Richard Wayman
Director of Racing and Betting

Richard joined the BHA at the beginning of 2016 as Chief Operations Officer, with responsibility for the racing, handicapping, finance, information technology and programme management teams. He has a lifelong interest in racing and, having taken part in the Jockey Club Graduate Development programme, began his career as an odds compiler with William Hill. Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant working for PricewaterhouseCoopers, he became Finance Director at the British Racing School before joining the British Horseracing Board as Assistant Racing Director in 2004. He was appointed Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association in 2012 and, as part of this role, became Secretary of the Horsemen’s Group and a Director of Racing Enterprises Limited and British Champions Series.

Racing interests: Richard has horses in training with Chris Wall.

Ruth Quinn
Director of International Racing and Racing Development

Ruth Quinn was appointed the British Horseracing Authority’s Director of International Racing and Racing Development in July 2015, having previously held the post of Racing Director.

She represents BHA/British Racing with overseas racing authorities on matters relating to the international race programme, international racing development, international handicapping, and the overall management of BHA’s complex relationships with its international partners and counterparts.  Ruth is a keen rider, particularly enjoying working closely with and bringing on young racehorses.

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