NZTR recruits three Australians to key positions

Mitch Lamb and Charlotte Mills are among two key appointments made by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing.

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing has a plan and believes it now has the people to implement it.

The code’s ruling body has announced three key appointments to its leadership to implement strategies in what will be a crucial next period for the industry.

NZTR chief executive Matt Ballesty announced the appointments, all Australians, with a wink to his home country.

“It was a global search and that meant we had applicants from across the world, including Australia and here in New Zealand,” says Ballesty.

“I like to think we have got one over the Australian industry by luring three high-qualified people to come help us run New Zealand thoroughbred racing.”

“Our industry needs bold decisions and a relentless focus on engaging participants, challenging the status quo and growing our fan base,” says Ballesty.

“These leaders bring world-class expertise, proven results and a passion for racing that will help secure the future of New Zealand thoroughbred racing.”

NZTR has looked and felt short on key personnel for some time, with the day-to-day running of the industry and dealing with emergencies such as meeting abandonments leaving little time for putting strategies in place and working on the longer-term issues, most importantly infrastructure.

NZTR has employed Mitch Lamb as its general manager of racing. Lamb comes from a background at Olybet in Europe, Tabcorp, William Hill and Sky Channel in Australia.

NZTR says he has a proven record in audience growth, content innovation and building high-performing teams.

Zac Reynolds has been appointed general manager of brand experience, communications and industry promotion.

NZTR says Reynolds is “a seasoned marketing leader with nearly two decades in global horse racing and sports wagering, including senior roles at Tabcorp, Sportingbet, Churchill Downs, BlueBet and bet365.

“He has also founded two successful agencies in the US, delivering innovative, digitally led fan engagement strategies.”

Lamb and Reynolds will move to Cambridge to work from NZTR’s head office.

Charlotte Mills, who is the head of racing for the Moonee Valley Racing Club, has been appointed as a racing consultant for the next 12 months.

Mills is highly respected for her work at The Valley and also brings over a decade of executive experience from Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA), where she served as chief racing officer

and led on animal welfare, racing operations, industry engagement and national strategy.

The appointments complete a recent management restructure that also includes the appointment of long-time employee Dan Smith as general manager of strategy and transformation and Sam Fursdon

as general manager of welfare and industry capability.

“To further sharpen its racing strategy, we are also establishing a Racing Think Tank to guide programming, the racing calendar and the national pattern,” says Ballesty.

“The wider industry will have an opportunity to provide input, with more details to come.”

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.