The owner and operator of Cheltenham Racecourse, The Jockey Club, announces the appointment of its new group chief executive this March 2025.
Jim Mullen joins British horseracing's largest commercial organisation and employer from UK and Ireland news publisher Reach Plc, where he has been chief executive since 2019.
Founded in 1750 to 'act in the long term best interests of British racing', The Jockey Club is today one of the UK's leading sports businesses, running 15 racecourses nationwide along with world-renowned events including The Cheltenham Festival, The Grand National Festival at Aintree and The Derby Festival at Epsom Downs.
Jim succeeds interim chief Charlie Boss, who has been in the post since December 2024, following Nevin Truesdale’s decision to step down after 11 years with the organisation.
He will join the organisation in June 2025, with Charlie Boss continuing in the role until then and remaining at The Jockey Club until July 2025 to 'support and ensure a smooth transition'.
As well as leading Reach plc, running renowned UK publishing brands like the Mirror and Daily Express, Jim was previously group chief executive at Ladbrokes Coral Group plc and held roles at William Hill Online, News International and Publicis Group.
He is also currently a non-executive Board member of Racecourse Media Group, the umbrella organisation responsible for media rights involving 61 racecourses in Britain and Ireland.
Jim Mullen said: '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.'
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.'
