Former Flutter Entertainment executive Conor Grant is poised to become the next chairman of Racing TV owner, Racecourse Media Group.
Mr Grant stepped down late last year as chief executive of Flutter UK and Ireland, the division of the Irish gambling giant that includes Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet, to focus on other interests.
Racecourse Media Group confirmed on Thursday that the business has appointed him incoming chairman.
Mr Grant will join the board as a non-executive director on April 1st before succeeding Roger Lewis in the chair on October 1st.
The group’s businesses include Racing TV, which has the broadcast rights to Irish racing, along with those of leading British tracks such as Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Newmarket.
Racecourse Media Group is owned by 35 British racecourses, including those that host most of that country’s top meetings and festivals.
Its Racecourse Retail Business subsidiary provides live pictures from its 35 British shareholders and four others, Ascot, Bangor-on-Dee, Chelmsford City and Chester to around 7,000 bookie shops in Ireland and Britain.
It also owns an international betting broadcast service – Racing TV International – and a company that licenses and controls pre-race data.
The group paid a £110 million sterling (€125 million) dividend to its 35 shareholders for 2021 and expects last year’s payout to top this sum.
A Co Down native, Mr Grant is an enthusiastic racing and sports fan. He worked for more than 20 years in the betting business, and was chief operating officer of Sky Betting & Gaming before taking his post at Flutter.
He paid tribute to Mr Lewis and group chief executive, Martin Stevenson, for delivering outstanding results to shareholders.
“I look forward to working with the Racecourse Media Group team and continuing to deliver for all of our racecourses,” he added.
Since Mr Lewis joined the board in 2012, the group has increased dividend payments to racecourse shareholders from £45 million to more than £110 million.
He predicted that Mr Grant would bring the business to “greater heights in years to come”.
