Racing Victoria appoints Aaron Morrison as chief executive officer

Morrison has been interim CEO since the start of May.

Australia.- The board of Racing Victoria (RV) has appointed Aaron Morrison as chief executive officer (CEO) with immediate effect. Morrison had been serving as interim CEO since the beginning of May, having previously held roles as chief operating officer and chief financial officer. He is also a member of several racing industry boards, including media companies Racing.com and RSN 927.

Before joining RV in 2017, Aaron Morrison was CEO of the Sand Hill Road Group and held senior executive positions with Crown Resorts and SkyCity Entertainment Group, including general manager of Adelaide Casino. RV said Morrison was chosen from a group of local and international candidates following a recruitment process conducted by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles.

RV chairman Tim Eddy said: “The Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Aaron Morrison as the CEO of Racing Victoria. We had a talented field of candidates from which to select and we were fortunate to have a strong internal one who presented a high benchmark from which to compare.

“During his time at RV, Aaron has established an intimate knowledge of the breadth and complexity of the industry and demonstrated an ability to build strong relationships with staff, stakeholders and government. He boasts an extensive corporate background and has a deep understanding of the economics of racing and wagering, the importance of stakeholder engagement, and a genuine passion for the sport.

“Aaron has further demonstrated his capabilities throughout his period as Interim CEO and we’re confident that we have a highly capable person to lead the industry through a key period in its future.”

Morrison said: “I’m incredibly excited and honoured to be appointed CEO of Racing Victoria. I want to thank the Board who have shown great faith in me, and our dedicated team and all our stakeholders for their trust and confidence. I look forward to working together with all to continue to grow Victorian racing.

“As an owner of multiple horses and a keen punter, I have developed a great love for the sport, an admiration for its equine athletes and respect for those who work tirelessly to put on the show each day.

“Victorian racing is a leader, whether through the quality of our racing, the strength of our engagement and wagering, or the heritage of our Clubs and events, and it’s from this strong base that we need to continue to evolve and improve. I also recognise the challenges ahead and the need for necessary change to position us for long-term success and sustainability.

“An immediate priority will be to review the structure, resources and operations of the Racing Victoria Group, including our media businesses, to drive greater alignment and ensure we’re leveraging our assets to maximum benefit.

“We need to ensure that we have the right structures and capabilities in place to achieve our goal of maximising returns to participants and those who invest in the sport, and this will also include a review of key roles across the group.

“Our future success also requires us to work better together as an industry, and I will seek to drive greater engagement and collaboration through new industry-focused forums, to ensure that we leverage the collective experience and ideas from across our sport.

“With my detailed knowledge of Victorian racing and its ecosystem, I am in a fortunate position where I can hit the ground running and with another Spring Racing Carnival just around the corner it’s an exciting time for all.”