The current CEO of Great British Racing, Rod Street, will be stepping down from his role by the end of April following a tenure that began in 2010. Until his departure, Street will continue to lead the racing promotional and marketing body as well as the British Champions Series Limited, which he has been CEO of since 2011.
Street has been a part of the horseracing industry for over 30 years, stating that: “It is my privilege to work in horseracing. I enter my 31st year in the sport in May this year.” During this time he has worked both at racecourses and in senior leadership roles, with Street elaborating that “the time feels right to do something new.”
Street expressed his intention to move into coaching and leadership mentoring, which he described as a “passion.”
“I am very proud of the achievements of the team at GBR. Racing is significantly better promoted now than it was 15 years ago,” Street continued. “Such is the extent of GBR’s work that our name goes largely unnoticed, as it should do, because our job is to tell the stories – not be the story.”
Considering what the future of horseracing will look like, Street said: “This is a time of both challenge and opportunity. It is encouraging that the sport has come together to address declines in revenue and engagement... I remain optimistic for the sport, because we have history, heritage and a level of coverage that other sports would die for.”
On his departure, BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington said: “Rod is an experienced, respected and much-loved individual in racing. Working in a multi-stakeholder environment is not easy and it is a testament to Rod’s qualities that he has thrived in the role of CEO at Great British Racing for nearly 15 years.
“We are sincerely sorry to lose him, but respect his decision and on behalf of racing’s stakeholders thank him for all he has done.”
The BHA recently released a thought piece on the political impact of horseracing and its engagements with UK politicians.
