V’landys’ 22-year Racing NSW CEO tenure set to end

Peter V’landys is set to leave Racing NSW after 22 years as chief executive, with his appointment as the National Rugby League’s first executive chairman expected to be ratified this week.

V’landys will likely set a departure date from Racing NSW once the Australian Rugby League Commission confirms the appointment, having met on Wednesday.

The terms of his exit, including when he will formally finish, are not yet known, and the Racing NSW board is expected to confirm them once his rugby league appointment is formalised.

V’landys, the most prominent racing executive in Australia, has spent the past two months acting as the NRL’s chief after taking four months’ long-service leave from Racing NSW.

Graeme Hinton, the regulator’s chief operating officer, has served as acting chief executive during that period.

The permanent NRL position would combine responsibility for day-to-day operations with V’landys’ existing role as ARL Commission chairman, which he has held since 2019. His initial term as executive chairman is expected to run for three years.

Media reports said club and state league chairs unanimously supported V’landys’ appointment during a half-hour telephone meeting on Saturday.

V’landys’ move will give him permanent control of the NRL’s executive operations after Andrew Abdo left to become chief executive of Tennis Australia.

Racing NSW originally approved V’landys’ leave from July 15 to November 15. Chair Saranne Cooke said at the time that the arrangement ensured he was not spending more time on the ARL Commission while also performing his Racing NSW duties.

V’landys said in July that he had not decided whether he would return to racing permanently. He said his immediate focus had been the NRL broadcast agreement and that he would assess his future during the four-month placement.

Hinton is the internal candidate most closely associated with the transition, although no permanent appointment or recruitment process has been announced.

He has spent more than 13 years at Racing NSW, including a decade as chief operating officer, and publicly expressed interest in succeeding V’landys in May.

“I certainly would covet the role,” Hinton said. “I’ve been in my job for quite a long time, and I’ve certainly done a good apprenticeship.”

The Racing Reform Group, which has campaigned for governance changes in NSW racing, has called for a formal process to select the next chief executive. It previously questioned the board’s decision to allow V’landys to take leave to run another sporting organisation.

V’landys was appointed in December 2003 and began as Racing NSW chief executive on February 23, 2004, after 17 years as chief executive in NSW harness racing.

His tenure included Racing NSW’s race-fields legal victory, substantial growth in funding and prize money, and the introduction of The Everest. It has also come amid sustained scrutiny of the regulator’s governance and its relationship with the Australian Turf Club.

The leadership change comes while the NSW government considers former health minister Brad Hazzard’s review of the Thoroughbred Racing Act and the operation of Racing NSW.

The report could affect the regulator’s future powers, making the succession decision part of a broader shift in its governing framework.