Jim Mullen has been appointed group chief executive for The Jockey Club (of Great Britain) following a protracted search for a replacement for Nevin Truesdale, Britain's largest racecourse group announced March 31.
Mullen, formerly CEO of Ladbrokes Coral, joins The Jockey Club from Reach, the largest commercial news publisher in the UK and Ireland, where he has been chief executive since 2019.
He will succeed interim group chief executive Charlie Boss, who has been in the post since December, following Truesdale's decision to step down at the end of last year after four and a half years in the role and 11 years at the organization. The appointment of Boss was made following a last-minute hitch finding a permanent successor to Truesdale.
Mullen, 54, begins his new position with The Jockey Club June 1.
He said: "While The Jockey Club will be known to many as one of the most prestigious and established organizations in British sport, it is also a forward-thinking and exciting business with its focus firmly on the future.
"As a lifelong horse racing 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."
Mullen has been a non-executive board member of Racecourse Media Group, the umbrella organization responsible for media rights involving 61 racecourses in Britain and Ireland. He has spent the past six years at Reach, which runs more than 120 publishing brands including the Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Record, and Daily Star, and begin his new role with British horse racing's largest commercial organization.
He added: "Publishing and horse racing 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 she was delighted to welcome Mullen as 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 fan base," she said.
"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."
A horse racing fan and racehorse owner, Mullen was chief executive of Ladbrokes Coral from March 2015-March 2018, having previously been 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.
Boss will continue as interim chief executive until Mullen takes up his new post and will remain at The Jockey Club, which runs 15 of Britain's racecourses, until July to support and ensure a smooth transition.
