Greyhound Racing New South Wales appoints Rob Macaulay as new CEO

Macaulay has been Legal Counsel for GRNSW for more than three years.

Australia.- John Williams, the chairman of Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW), announced today that Robert Macaulay has been appointed as the organization’s new CEO. Macaulay has been Legal Counsel for GRNSW for more than three years and served as interim CEO when Tony Mestrov resigned to become CEO of the NRL club Manly Warringah.

Williams stated: “Rob is very experienced within GRNSW and is a strong advocate for the sport and its participants.

“He has served GRNSW as Company Secretary for several years and has also acted as GRNSW’s legal advisor, so he knows the tasks in front of us – and the opportunities for continuing commercial growth of the wider industry to deliver increasing returns to the participants.

“Rob has demonstrated his leadership of GRNSW’s highest priority, the welfare of our animals, and is a strong advocate for regional and rural NSW where 75 per cent of our participants reside.

“Rob has worked alongside and assisted the previous CEO (Tony Mestrov) for several years and that has given him great knowledge of the organisation and the industry. He knows the job and we feel it will be a smooth and successful transition.”

Macaulay added: “It is a great honour to be appointed to the role of CEO and continue the great work of the management team at GRNSW. I look forward to travelling across regional NSW and meeting with participants and supporters of a great family-orientated sport.

“I am especially pleased to have been a part of the journey that has so far delivered transformation on re-homing and welfare initiatives while at the same time supporting the livelihoods of thousands of participants who enjoy this sport in NSW through prizemoney and enjoyment.”

Greyhound racing remains popular in Australia. There are 55 active greyhound tracks in the country making it one of the countries with the most of tracks. The United Kingdom has 22 tracks, Ireland 16 and the United States four.

According to the Greyhound Coalition, greyhound racing generated more than $AU7bn in gambling profits for state governments in FY19/20 while in NSW, the greyhound racing industry generates AU$90m per year for the NSW State Government in tax.

Sky Racing, Tabcorp‘s subsidiary, broadcasts greyhound racing via satellite, cable, mobile, and the Internet to more than 5,000 outlets across Australia and 51 countries around the world. The Tabcorp-owned network has recently extended its partnership agreement with Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) for the next four years.

According to Tabcorp, the partnership, which appoints Sky as GRV’s domestic, digital and international vision broadcaster and distributor, will include;

• An increase in air time for Victorian greyhound racing on Sky Racing.
• Dedicated greyhound showcase content.
• New digital initiatives will make it easier to access Victorian greyhound racing on an expanded number of digital platforms.