Racing’s executive conveyor belt – How V’landys’ long tenure defies a national trend

Peter V’landys’ 21-and-a-half-year tenure as Racing NSW CEO stands in sharp contrast to the merry-go-round of executives through equivalent roles in other states. Bren O’Brien examines the implications of too much or too little change at the top.

 In the space of the past 12 months, three of Australia’s six state-based thoroughbred principal racing authorities have appointed new CEOs, taking the number of different people to have held that senior title at a PRA to 26 since 2004.

The year 2004 is significant as it was the time when Peter V’landys took charge of Racing NSW. While there has been an extraordinary period of stability at the top of NSW racing since then, elsewhere has resembled a conveyor belt.

Aaron Morrison is the seventh different Racing Victoria CEO that V’landys has sat across the table from, while interim Lachlan Murray is the sixth since Racing Queensland (tricode) was constituted in 2010 – the previous regime under chairman Bob Bentley did not have a CEO position from Jeremy Turner’s departure in 2004 until 2010.

There have been five different bosses of what is now known as Racing SA since 2004, while Tasracing (tricode), which was formed in 2009, has also had five men in the top job in 16 years.

Racing and Wagering WA has only had three different CEOs since it formed in 2003, Ray Bennett, Richard Burt and current CEO Iain Edwards.

Burt, who served in the role for 157 months – 13 years and one month – is the only one to get close to V’landys current mark of 252 months – 21 years and six months.

The average tenure of the CEO of a PRA in Australia over that time is 49 months – or just over four years, but the median time for each length of tenure is just 30 months, or two-and-half years.

The last few years have seen particularly high turnover. Since March 2019, there have been 14 different men in CEO positions at thoroughbred or tri-code PRAs across Australia.

The last two CEOs of Racing SA left after 28 and 29 months respectively, while Andrew Jones lasted only 22 months in Victoria and departed Racing Queensland CEO Jason Scott effectively 20 months, having been seconded to other duties when Murray took over on an interim basis in February this year.

Each of these situations would have a different story to tell, but Scott and Jones would both no doubt speak of the heavy political toll of operating in a job of such prominence.

Chief executive Jason Scott to leave Racing Queensland

Jason Scott is set to depart as Racing Queensland chief executive officer after only two years in the role.

The StraightBren O’Brien

Both attempted to shake up the thinking of their respective PRAs and both departed in relatively quick fashion.

The changes at Racing Victoria last year prompted reshuffles elsewhere. Vaughan Lynch, previous Racing SA CEO for just over two years, and back from 2016-2018, Tasracing CEO, is now chief operating officer at Racing Victoria.

Lynch is one of two men to have held CEO jobs at two different PRAs, the other being Elliot Forbes, who was CEO of Tasracing from July 2012 until August 2016, before a subsequent 19-month spell as Racing Queensland CEO.

Of the 21 men to depart as a state-based PRA CEO since 2004, only two remain involved directly in racing administration in Australia, Lynch and Racing Australia CEO Paul Eriksson. That RA role has had four different CEOs since 2012.  

The job of CEO of a PRA is inevitably political, and the tenure of it is often subject to the whims of the state government of the time.

A change of government in Queensland in 2012 prompted a complete reset of the racing executive, which had worked closely with the previous Labor government.

When Queensland’s political environment swung dramatically back to Labor in 2015, it precipitated further change at Racing Queensland. That was driven by a broader political issue concerning live baiting in the greyhound industry. RQ CEO Darren Condon was stood down, while the function of Racing Queensland was completely rewritten.

The next change of government in Queensland came in 2024, and while Jason Scott has said his departure from the CEO role was not related to politics, he clearly read the tea leaves, with Racing Minister Tim Mander subsequently announcing a major review into racing in the state.

Since 2004, Victoria has had five different racing ministers. While the flavour of government hasn’t had such an overt impact on RV CEO appointments as it has in Queensland, the longer-term the racing minister, generally leads to stability for a PRA CEO.

Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones in sudden departure

Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones has resigned with immediate effect with his departure linked to the expected arrival of former AFL boss Gillion McLachlan as chairman.

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In Western Australia, the stability at the top of RWAA hasn’t been mirrored politically, with nine individual racing and gaming ministers since 2004, while South Australia has had four different racing ministers since 2018. Tasmania has had five different people in the racing ministry role since 2020, across six different terms.

V’landys extraordinarily long tenure has endured despite the roughshod nature of New South Wales politics. There have been eight different New South Wales racing ministers in that 21-year era, Grant McBride, Graham West, Kevin Greene, George Souris, Troy Grant, Paul Toole, Kevin Anderson and David Harris.

It has also overlapped with nine different premiers. It is little wonder amid such a period of broader political instability that some characterise V’landys longevity in the CEO role as a strength.

That positive view of the desirability of V’landys 21 years in the top job is not a view universally shared.

The optimal service length for a CEO in the public and private sector is seen at around seven to 10 years and criticism was raised during last year’s Rosehill parliamentary inquiry about just how long the current Racing NSW CEO has been in the job.  

Concerns have been raised that long-term CEOs such as V’landys can have outsized power over their boards, and whether that is good for governance.

All the way with PVL – Cooke backs in V’landys as ‘the foremost sporting administrator in the country’

Racing NSW chair Saranne Cooke has fobbed off concerns over the conduct and power of CEO Peter V’landys, saying he had the board’s unanimous support and he remained the best person for the role he has served in for over 20 years.

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That is not the opinion of Racing NSW chair Saranne Cooke. At the Rosehill inquiry, she said there was no right length of time for a CEO to remain in a role and V’landys was still the right person to fill that role   

“We go through that consideration on an annual basis, in closed session, and have those discussions, and I know the whole board agrees with me that we have the best person in place at this point in time to be our CEO,” she said at the time.

Looking more broadly at other sports, there have been four different CEOs of the National Rugby League since 2004, three different CEOs of the AFL, four different CEOs of Cricket Australia and seven in Rugby Australia.

The role of the exception is one which V’landys clearly relishes and despite the political pressure brought in the past 18 months, he has endured, seemingly for as long as he wishes to be.  

PRA chief executives across Australia

*Racing Queensland only had a CEO role from 2010 onward, Tasracing only brought into existence in 2009