Former beting boss Jim Mullen named Jockey Club CEO

The former Ladbrokes Coral CEO succeeds Nevin Truesdale at the helm of British horseracing’s largest commercial organisation and employer.

UK.- The Jockey Club has named Jim Mullen as its next group chief executive. The reins will be handed over by Charlie Boss, who has been in the post on an interim basis since December 2024, following former CEO Nevin Truesdale’s decision to step down from the role after 11 years at the organisation.

Mullen, 54, joins The Jockey Club from Reach plc, the largest commercial news publisher in the UK and Ireland, where he has been CEO since 2019. Reach runs more than 120 publishing brands, including the Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Record and Daily Star. He will begin his new role with British horseracing’s largest commercial organisation and employer on June 1.

A horseracing fan and racehorse owner, Mullen was group CEO of the betting operator Ladbrokes Coral Group between March 2015 and March 2018. He was previously managing director of Ladbrokes Digital and chief operating officer of William Hill Online. Prior to that, he was digital strategy director and director of product management at News International and director of digital at Publicis Group.

Mullen is currently a non-executive board member of Racecourse Media Group, the umbrella organisation responsible for media rights from 61 racecourses in Britain and Ireland.

Speaking about the appointment, Mullen said: “While The Jockey Club will be known to many as one of the most prestigious and established organisations in British sport, it is also a forward-thinking and exciting business with its focus firmly on the future.

“As a lifelong horseracing fan who has spent some of the best days of my life on racecourses, I could not be more proud to join The Jockey Club’s passionate and dedicated team through what I hope will be an exciting new chapter.

“Publishing and horseracing might appear to be two very different industries on the surface. However, they share a focus on providing value and quality for the customer while nurturing happy and motivated teams across multiple sites, and I am passionate about delivering both.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues at Reach for their hard work and all that has been achieved together over the past six years. I now look forward to forging new relationships in horseracing and renewing others developed during my time in the gambling industry.”

The Jockey Club’s senior steward, Baroness Dido Harding, said: “I am delighted to welcome a leader of Jim’s calibre and experience as our next Group Chief Executive.

“He has a long and distinguished track record of delivering strong growth in the publishing and gambling sectors and is also familiar with the complexities of the British racing industry, its structure and challenges, as well as the very many opportunities we have to broaden our fanbase. “Jim will bring with him a wealth of experience and expertise, while also being a racing fan at heart who is passionate about promoting the sport and the incredible experiences we are able to offer our customers.”

Charlie Boss will continue as Interim CEO until Mullen takes up the post and will remain at The Jockey Club until July to support the transition.

Baroness Harding added: “On behalf of the Stewards and Members of The Jockey Club, I would like to thank Charlie Boss for the tremendous commitment, enthusiasm and drive he has shown over the past four months in this role.

“Charlie’s deep understanding of The Jockey Club, our teams and the industry allowed him to really hit the ground running and provide clear leadership during our busiest time of the year with our major festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree in March and April. We are incredibly lucky to have him as our Interim CEO.”

Boss said: “Jim has all of the skills and experience that The Jockey Club needs to realise its full potential, and I can’t think of a better person to hand the baton over to this summer. My energy and focus before Jim arrives will be on creating the solid foundations to ensure he and this wonderful organisation are positioned to thrive.”

Under Truesdale’s watch, the Jockey Club’s revenue has grown, and it has found new commercial partners while also expanding its customer base and digital offerings. However, the racing sector as a whole has concerns about a decline in betting revenue in real terms. Truesdale was vocal in opposing the Gambling Commission’s proposed financial risk checks.