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The Racing Foundation’s annual conference was attended by industry leaders with a landmark total of more than 300 delegates registered on Wednesday, October 2.
A key funder of horse racing’s charitable initiatives, the Racing Foundation staged its seventh annual conference at Ascot Racecourse to build understanding and prompt collaboration around racing’s social licence challenges.
The event attracted a wide range of delegates from across the industry and the wider equestrian landscape, from the 47 Chief Executives, Managing Directors and Board Chairs to those starting out in their horse racing careers, whose tickets were funded by the Racing Foundation in a bid to engage the sport’s future leaders.
Bob Langert, the former Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at McDonald’s, TedTalk speaker and author, delivered the keynote address and hosted a discussion-based workshop.
No stranger to the challenges of social licence, Langert was tasked with addressing the issues that had taken McDonald’s from being recognised as the beloved ‘Golden Arches’ to a symbol of many societal problems, after the brand 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.
He passed on his experiences to a captivated audience and dispensed advice as to how horse racing can address social licence challenges of its own.
Langert said: “During my time at McDonald’s, we faced many detractors in the form of activist campaigns, books and movies and media coverage on multiple issues.
“We were accused of destroying the rainforest, creating the garbage crisis, abusing animals, serving junk food and making people obese.
“Honestly, it felt like I was going to battle each and every day! On reflection and having lived through the whole journey, it’s amazing the McDonald’s business is still growing and thriving today.
“One central reason for McDonald’s not only surviving, but having continued success and growth, is that it took the importance of having public acceptance, protecting our brand and earning trust, very seriously.
“Horse racing faces similar challenges today in terms of public perception, specifically around whether the sport is safe, the treatment of its equine participants, and its place in society.
“For the sport not just to survive, but thrive in the future it must accept and engage with those challenges, as McDonald’s did previously.”
Joining Langert on the agenda was Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale.
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 a mixed reaction in some quarters.
Addressing the delegates in the room, Truesdale said of the Grand National: “It is a race we should all be extremely proud of.
“It’s a race that is the main shop window of our sport and it’s a race that we need to preserve and protect.
“But it’s also a race for which we need to maintain its acceptability to society because it is one of racing’s, and indeed Britain’s, biggest sporting assets.
“It is our job to preserve it, look after it, evolve it and improve it.”
Youth engagement was a theme that ran along social licence on the agenda. INVADES founder Dom Matcham and a diverse youth panel discussed social licence among Gen Z and attracting the next generation of racegoers.
The importance of collaboration was highlighted throughout the conference, particularly during its industry-wide workshop and hearing the experiences of other equestrian disciplines during the World Horse Welfare panel on public acceptance of horse sports, led by chief executive Roly Owers.
Again for 2024, environmental sustainability was embedded throughout the event. Ascot Racecourse was selected for the venue’s sustainable credentials, a sustainably-sourced lunch was served to delegates, reusable conference materials were utilised and travel information was collected from delegates to provide an accurate carbon calculation of the event.
To view videos of the keynote talks and download the powerpoint slides, please head to www.racingfoundation.co.uk/conference/materials
All are welcome to join us for a day of learning, challenge and debate.
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.
