Jim Mullen appointed Jockey Club group chief executive

Former Ladbrokes Coral supremo Jim Mullen has been appointed as the new group chief executive of The Jockey Club and will take up the role on June 1.

Since 2019, the 54-year-old has been chief executive of Reach plc, the largest commercial news publisher in the UK and Ireland, which runs more than 120 brands including the Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Record and Daily Star.

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.”

Established in 1750, The Jockey Club runs some of the nation’s biggest sporting events, including the Cheltenham Festival, Randox Grand National at Aintree and the Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom.

Mullen will succeed interim chief Charlie Boss, who has been in the post since December 2024, following Nevin Truesdale’s decision to step down from the role at the end of last year after 11 years at the organisation.

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.”