The Jockey Club has today announced that Charlie Boss is to become Chief Executive Officer of Jockey Club Racecourses (JCR).

The appointment is announced on the day that Jim Mullen begins his new role as Group Chief Executive Officer of The Jockey Club, British horseracing’s largest commercial organisation and employer.

Jockey Club Racecourses is comprised of 15 racecourses – Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs, Exeter, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Newmarket’s Rowley Mile and July Course, Nottingham, Sandown Park, Wincanton and Warwick – with those responsible for running these venues reporting to Boss, along with The Jockey Club’s supporting commercial, operations and racing teams.

Boss was Chief Commercial Officer at The Jockey Club between March 2021 and April 2023 and went on to take up the same role at Southampton Football Club. He rejoined the organisation in December last year as Interim Group Chief Executive and will move into his new role reporting directly to Mullen in September.

A Vice Chair of London Sport, Boss has worked across a variety of sectors, including running Disney’s sports businesses in Europe and Africa and in senior brand and marketing roles at the Rugby Football Union and the Football Association. He was also a Board Member of pool betting operator Britbet during his first spell at The Jockey Club.

Boss, 40, said: “It has been the privilege of my career to lead The Jockey Club over the last six months and I’m absolutely delighted to be given this fantastic opportunity to remain with the organisation and to work with Jim.

“I’ve been fortunate to work in a number of different organisations and roles across various sports and I can honestly say none have been more enjoyable and fulfilling than the time I have spent at The Jockey Club.

“The talent and passion of the people we have, not just at The Jockey Club but across our sport, makes me incredibly optimistic about the future, regardless of the challenges we face, and I believe that with the right leadership horseracing in Britain is in a great position to thrive.

“As an industry which contributes more than £4 billion to the UK economy and is the country’s second most attended sport, horseracing still has an important place in society and I am certainly proud to be able to continue to play a part in the positive impact that it has, both domestically and globally.”

Jim Mullen, Group Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said: “First and foremost I would like to credit Charlie for the outstanding job he has done as Interim Chief Executive since he returned to The Jockey Club in December last year.

“Charlie’s passion for driving organisations forward and the leadership qualities he has honed over many years are abundantly clear from the moment you first meet him and I knew instinctively that I wanted him by my side as I take up my new role.

“In this new position, Charlie will lead our racecourse teams nationwide in continuing to focus on the delivery of highly competitive racing, exceptional customer experiences and strong commercial performance year-round. His support will allow me to focus on leading the vision and strategy for The Jockey Club to fulfil its mission of championing and protecting British horseracing for future generations.”

The Jockey Club’s Senior Steward, Baroness Dido Harding, added: “It is never easy stepping into any interim role but on behalf of the Stewards and Members of The Jockey Club, I would like to thank Charlie for the extraordinary levels of dedication and commitment he has shown since rejoining in December.

“He has demonstrated an ability to galvanise the teams across the Group during our busiest period of high profile racing, while leading in a calm and authoritative way. I am thrilled that he has agreed to take on the vitally important role of Chief Executive of Jockey Club Racecourses and the prospect of Jim and Charlie working together is tremendously exciting.”