NSW Racing has appointed Graeme Hinton as its next CEO.
Hinton, a highly regarded administrator in the sport, replaces the long-time boss of NSW Racing, Peter V’landys, who announced his exit to the National Rugby League last week.
Hinton is a veteran of the state’s racing body and has been acting CEO since V’landys has been on long service leave.
The chair of the NSW Racing board, Dr Saranne Cooke, said the decision to appoint Hinton was unanimous.
Dr Cooke also said that there had been a succession plan in place for when V’landys eventually left racing, but also made note that after talking to key stakeholders about who should get the gig, ‘’their support for Graeme was resounding’’.
”The industry faces significant opportunities and risks over the coming years, and a Chief Executive Officer with deep experience in wagering and racing is critical,’’ Dr Cooke said.
‘’There is arguably no one in racing with Graeme’s breadth of knowledge, from the dynamics of wagering to the racing program, equine and participant welfare and the fundamentally important role of regulation. And he is a big thinker who wants to grow racing, not simply manage it.’’
In a statement on Monday, V’landys described Hinton as ‘’lengths superior’’ to any of the racing CEO’s he has worked with.
“Racing is extremely lucky to have Graeme. He is one of the rare individuals that has deep knowledge of every aspect of the racing industry. He is a brilliant commercial operator and is just as comfortable making the hard decisions as a regulator and without fear or favour,’’ V’landys said.
“I have dealt with many racing CEOs over the last 22 years. Graeme is lengths superior to any of them, even at this stage. Although he is already the best in Australia, he will only get better, with the NSW thoroughbred racing industry being the winner.”
Hinton described the appointment as a privilege.
”It is a privilege to lead such an incredible industry that I have grown up around and have spent my working life in. Racing is part of the economic and social fabric of our entire state,’’ he said.
‘’It provides employment to tens of thousands of people and entertainment to many, many more. I have been honoured to have spent the past decade involved in growing and improving this industry and ensuring that we have the foundations in place to protect it for the future.
“I look forward to working closely with the Racing NSW Board, our clubs, participants and industry partners to build on these strong foundations to ensure NSW remains at the forefront of racing in Australia and internationally.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I am always willing to listen and always keen to help. I want to continue to do that, so we can tackle the industry’s challenges together and ensure that it is here for generations to come.”
Hinton will continue in an acting capacity until V’landys’ term ends on December 1.
