THE RACING FOUNDATION CONFERENCE

Nevin Truesdale has been leading the Jockey Club, one of the largest sport businesses in the UK which stages a number of iconic horseracing events including the Cheltenham Festival and Randox Grand National, as Group Chief Executive for over four years. He is stepping down as chief executive at the end of 2024.

During his tenure, Truesdale has led the organisation through a period of digital-based growth and transformation, diversified revenues and attracted new audiences to the country’s second largest spectator sport, welcoming nearly 2m people annually to the Jockey Club’s 15 racecourse venues.

Ahead of the 2024 running of the Randox Grand National, the Jockey Club announced substantial updates to the historic race, including reducing the maximum number of runners and moving the first fence 60 yards closer to the start to slow the early stages of the race.

The changes, which were seen as an influential example of protecting the sport's social licence by some stakeholders, were met with mixed reaction by others.

In his keynote talk, Truesdale will outline the factors contributing to the decision, implementation, managing stakeholder buy-in and how he foresees the rule changes contributing to the Grand National's licence to operate long-term.

Aamilah began her equestrian journey at the age of five, riding ponies at St. James City Farm in Gloucester. This early experience ignited her passion for riding. By age eleven, she advanced to pony racing, which laid the foundation for her future ambitions. At fifteen, she earned a place in the Riding A Dream Academy through the prestigious Khadijah Mellah Scholarship. For the past eighteen months, she has been working at Kim Bailey's yard riding out. Aamilah raced in the 2024 Markel Magnolia Cup at Goodwood Racecourse, where she earned a notable second place. This achievement reflects the legacy of Khadijah Mellah, who made history by winning the race five years ago.

Louise Norman has been an integral part of the Executive Team at the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) since January 2020. With over two decades of experience at Weatherbys, she developed a deep expertise in the VAT Service area and later spearheaded the Racing Bank team as Senior Manager focused on commercial opportunities combined with a unique approach to excellent customer service.

In her four years at the ROA, Louise has demonstrated her commercial acumen by introducing a VAT solution service and broadening the membership model for the ROA. She has also continued to develop the customer experience levels which significantly benefit racehorse owners. Additionally, she has played an important role in supporting the British Horseracing Authority's (BHA) Industry Strategy; Owners Workstream, committed to enhancing the recognition and reward of racehorse owners as key investors in British Racing.

Louise's extensive career in the horseracing industry has provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the importance of owner engagement. Her unique perspective, blending regulatory knowledge with practical racing experience, contributes significantly to the ROA and the broader industry.

Paul Johnson has been Chief Executive at the National Trainers Federation since the beginning of 2022. Previously Paul occupied the role of Head of Racing at the BHA for eight years and in the past has also worked for the Racecourse Association and Ladbrokes.

Uwitonze has always had an interest in horses, initially volunteering at the Urban Equestrian Academy for a remarkable eight years. She then went on to graduate from the Riding a Dream Academy Khadijah Mellah Scholarship programme in 2023. Since then, she has completed the foundation course at the British Racing School and was head person during this time. She is currently an apprentice groom for Karl Burke, and her ultimate goal is to become a professional jockey, which she is eager to pursue.

Bob Langert is a global authority in the field of social licence and sustainability, having delivered TedTalks and written books on the subject. Best known for his influential tenure at McDonald's spanning over three decades, Langert's work has set benchmarks in environmental and social governance.

From the late 1980s, McDonald's found itself embroiled in a series of contentious issues in the areas of animal welfare and environmental sustainability, often clashing with powerful NGOs such as Greenpeace and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Langert was appointed as McDonald’s first Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in 2006 and was tasked with addressing the social licence issues that had taken the brand from being recognised as the beloved ‘Golden Arches’ to a symbol of many societal problems. He transformed McDonald's social licence efforts from defensive manoeuvres to proactive problem-solving in collaboration with unexpected partners.

Langert’s work underscores the importance of collaboration, authentic openness, and persistent innovation in addressing the complex challenges of social acceptability. As the horseracing industry grapples with its own social licence challenges, Langert’s experiences offer valuable insights on the potential for transformative change through committed leadership and strategic partnerships.

Michael Bishop is the Chief Executive of RDA, a UK wide charity enriching lives through horses. RDA supports people with physical and learning disabilities, and long-term physical and mental health conditions, including dementia, by providing therapy, fitness, skills development, and opportunities for achievement.

He is a Trustee of both the British Racing School and London Youth, a charity which improves the lives of young people in the capital. A passionate advocate for horse sport, Michael’s career has spanned private, voluntary, and public sectors.

In his keynote talk, Michael will explore how social relevance is crucial for all equine sports, including horseracing, to secure their social licence to operate.

Tansy Challis has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Racing Foundation since 2023 having previously worked as Head of Grants and Programmes. Challis has over 18 years of experience working in the charity sector, including four years at the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust in Cambridge and six years as Head of Fundraising at Racing Welfare. In her conference introduction, Challis will contextualise the importance of industry collaboration to secure and maintain horseracing’s social licence to operate.

Mimi joined QIPCO British Champions Series as Club 26 Coordinator last year, after graduating from University College Dublin with an Economics and Politics degree. Club 26 is a free to join horseracing Club for those aged 18-26 and aims to make racing more affordable for young people by offering £10 tickets to all 26 QIPCO British Champions Day racedays. Whist at university, Mimi previously worked for Goffs, Leopardstown Racecourse and Fairyhouse Racecourse in Ireland, before making the move to London. Since then, Mimi has helped the Club to grow to over 10,000 members, hosted various behind-the-scenes tours within the industry and acquired two exciting two year olds for the Club in partnership with Qatar Ltd.