The Jockey Club appoints former Ladbrokes and Reach boss as new CEO
Jim Mullen is set to take the reins at the horseracing body from 1 June, succeeding interim CEO Charlie Boss
The Jockey Club has announced the appointment of Jim Mullen as the company’s new permanent group CEO.
Mullen is set to officially start the role on 1 June 2025, taking over from interim CEO Charlie Boss.
Boss took temporary charge of the company in December 2024, following the departure of former chief Nevin Truesdale at the end of the year.
Mullen joins the horseracing body after spending almost six years as CEO at UK publishing firm Reach PLC from August 2019.
His most recent experience in the gambling industry was a more than four-year spell at Ladbrokes Coral from October 2013 to March 2018.
While there, Mullen served as managing director of Ladbrokes Digital between October 2013 and March 2015, before moving up to the role of group CEO from March 2015 to March 2018.
Prior to his stint at Ladbrokes Coral, Mullen worked for William Hill, joining as chief operating officer in October 2010 before being appointed as director for international in January 2013 until his departure.
Outside of gambling, Mullen held the director roles in charge of digital strategy and product management at News International between 2006 and 2010.
He also serves as a senior independent non-executive director at Racecourse Media Group.
Speaking about his appointment, 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.”
Boss will continue to serve as interim CEO until Mullen officially starts the role on 1 June.
The Jockey Club’s senior steward, Baroness Harding, hailed Mullen’s “long and distinguished” history of delivering growth in his previous roles.
She added: “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 fan base.
“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.”
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.