Jockey Club Appoint Jim Mcgrath to BHB Board

Published: 9 December 2004

Nigel Clark, one of the Jockey Club’s three Directors on the BHB Board has given up his seat to enable Jim McGrath of Timeform and Channel 4 Racing to take up his position on the BHB Board as a non-executive director. His appointment had previously been put on hold following the failure of two of BHB’s shareholders, the RCA and ROA, to sanction the necessary constitutional changes to the Board which would have enabled him to join as an independent member.

From the New Year, Nigel Clark will no longer serve as a Jockey Club-appointed Director of BHB.

Julian Richmond-Watson, Senior Steward, said:

“We wholly supported the proposed changes to the make-up of BHB’s Board which would increase the number of independent directors and enable it to become a more effective governing body, less bound by factionalised interests. We have no objection to the Jockey Club, as one of the four shareholders, having only one appointee on the Board.

“When the proposed changes were not approved, I suggested to the Stewards of the Jockey Club that Jim McGrath became one of our appointees. The Stewards approved that proposal on Tuesday.”

9th December 2004

Notes for Editors:

1. The Jockey Club is one of four shareholders of the BHB, along with the Industry Committee (Horseracing) Ltd, Racecourse Association and Racehorse Owners Association. At present the Jockey Club has three nominees on the Board.

2. From the New Year, the Jockey Club’s three nominees will be Julian Richmond-Watson, Senior Steward, Sir Michael Connell, Deputy Senior Steward, and Jim McGrath.