The Melbourne Racing Club has announced the appointment of Tom Reilly to the position of CEO. Reilly comes to the role from Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) and Aushorse, where he has been a key figure in breeding and racing for 10 years.
While at the Australian breeding marketing arm, Aushorse, he oversaw the repositioning of the brand of Australian bloodstock, which has seen global investment into Australia more than treble during the decade.
Through TBA, Reilly worked closely with governments to deliver across a number of areas, including access to skilled foreign workers, tax reform and the response to COVID. He also developed strategies to address the challenge of staffing, education and training in the thoroughbred industry.
MRC Chairman John Kanga commented, “The committee is very excited to have Tom lead the team at the MRC. We wanted someone with deep racing knowledge and experience and Tom will bring that to the Club. He is well respected throughout the racing industry and with his extensive contacts and knowledge, both in Australia and internationally, he will be hitting the ground running.
“Tom will also bring real strength and energy to the role and, as a true racing person, has a genuine love and passion for the industry. He shares the vision of the committee to make the MRC more efficient and properly accountable to members, customers and participants, with an overarching aim of putting on better racing programmes and events and benefitting racing in general.”
Reilly added, “It's a great honour to be given this opportunity. The MRC is one of the great race clubs, not just in Australia, but globally. For anyone passionate about the future of racing, then running the MRC is a wonderful opportunity. The Club ran more race meetings than any other in Victoria last season and has three great racecourses, as well as some of the major Group One races in the Australian racing calendar, including the Caulfield Cup, the Caulfield Guineas and the Blue Diamond.
“Having met with the committee, I'm excited by their shared vision to make sure racing is at the heart of the MRC's endeavours and to ensure that we are maximising the potential of our three racecourses and other assets.”
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