ITIA names Karen Moorhouse as CEO

Karn Moorhouse will take the helm of the International Tennis Integrity Agency in February.

Belgium.- The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has named Karen Moorhouse to take over as CEO from February 6. The role has been empty for three months since Jonny Gray stepped down in September.

Moorhouse has spent 14 years at England’s Rugby Football League (RFL) occupying several senior roles, including that of chief regulatory officer. She was a non-executive director on the RFL’s board before joining the management team for the 2022 Rugby League World Cup.

Moorhouse said she was impressed by the “calibre of individuals” at ITIA and in tennis as a whole and with stakeholders’ commitments to upholding integrity.

She said: “By establishing and funding the ITIA, tennis is already rightly recognised as leading the way in how it deals with integrity matters.

“I will be focussed on working with our stakeholders and other organisations in the sporting, anti-doping and betting landscape to continue to find new ways of educating and supporting players (and others involved in the sport) and monitoring compliance with the rules. 

“All with the overriding aim of ensuring that tennis remains a trusted sport attracting new players, commercial partners and fans.”

ITIA chair Jennie Price said: “Karen stood out from a strong field of candidates as the person who combines the skills, experience and personal qualities to take integrity in tennis to the next level. 

“As well as a deep knowledge of integrity in sport, she brings impressive governance and commercial experience to the role. Above all, she is team-focused, inclusive and collaborative. I am delighted she has decided to join us.”

Created by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis in 2020, the ITIA aims to protect the international integrity of professional tennis. This includes monitoring for suspicious betting and match-fixing. Earlier this year, its remit was expanded to include anti-doping.

In May, the ITIA confirmed that six Spanish tennis players have been banned from the sport after they were convicted of criminal charges relating to match-fixing. The players were convicted in Spain as part of a wider case involving organised crime, which continues.