Neil Hayward appointed as Chair of new Industry People Board

29 Nov 2022

Neil Hayward has been appointed as the first chair of British racing’s new Industry People Board to drive Racing’s new people strategy.

The People Board has been created by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and the Racing Foundation (RF) to be the single point of accountability for the industry’s workforce strategies, which will form part of the wider Industry Strategy, which racing’s leaders committed to working towards earlier this year.

With the purpose of future-proofing the industry by protecting its current and future workforce, Neil Hayward and his team will address key areas of the sport such as equality, diversity and inclusion which will benefit from more dedicated resource.

“The significant investments formerly made by the Racing Foundation and the HBLB on the people agenda have not, to date, had the impact we would have expected,” said Chief Executive of the Racing Foundation Rob Hezel.

“A thorough review process identified the importance of having the right skills and independent governance arrangements if improvements are to be delivered.

“Therefore, we are delighted to have appointed Neil and look forward to supporting him, the People Board and the rest of their team moving forward.”

The People Board will specifically address staffing shortfalls by investing resource into skills developments and supporting racing’s businesses to ensure they are well situated to attract the best talent, which is crucial for British racing to prosper according to Chief Executive of the BHA Julie Harrington.

“If we are to ensure that British racing has a bright and vibrant future then it is imperative that we are attracting, training and retaining talented individuals across our industry, making sure that people can see opportunities for personal growth, development and progression within racing,” said Harrington.

“I am excited therefore to welcome an individual of the calibre of Neil Hayward to the position of Chair of the Industry People Board and would like to thank the Horserace Betting Levy Board and Racing Foundation for their initiation, involvement and funding of this important work.”

With 25 years of experience, Hayward has developed a track record in employee engagement and ED&I initiatives across a range of organisations including High Speed Two Ltd, Post Office, BT, Ministry of Justice, Standard Chartered Bank, Gallaher Group, Serco Group and Booker, as well as in the NHS and Higher and Further Education.

“I’d like to thank Julie, Alan and Rob for the trust they are placing in me by appointing me as Chair,” said Hayward.

“I’m really looking forward to working with them and many many others to make our new Independent People Board a success.” 

Alan Delmonte, Chief Executive of HBLB, added “HBLB invests around £3m a year directly into the areas to be covered by the people strategy.

“Filling key roles, developing skills in racing and supporting people welfare are key Racing Outcomes for HBLB.

“As the principal funders, we and the Racing Foundation initiated this review to ensure that the significant funds provided in this area are tied to a detailed strategy and implementation plan.

“It has been very positive to see widespread support in the sport for dedicated focus in this area.”