Aaron Morrison appointed new Racing Victoria CEO, succeeding Andrew Jones

Racing Victoria’s chief operating and financial officer, who has acted in the top job since the April resignation of Andrew Jones, has been endorsed by the board to take on the role full-time.

Aaron Morrison has been appointed the new chief executive of Racing Victoria.

Racing Victoria has unveiled Aaron Morrison as its new chief executive officer.

This masthead on Tuesday exclusively revealed Morrison had won the race for the top job.

The RV board met last Monday to appoint its new chief executive following an independent recruitment process.

Morrison, the chief operating and financial officer, has been interim chief executive since May after, following the resignation of predecessor Andrew Jones.

Morrison’s deep understanding of racing landscape, industry financials and wagering, coupled with a faultless four-month audition, weighed heavily in his favour.

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RV chairman Tim Eddy said the board was delighted to appoint Morrison.

“We had a talented field of candidates from which to select and we were fortunate to have a strong internal one who presented a high benchmark from which to compare,” Eddy said.

“During his time at RV, Aaron has established an intimate knowledge of the breadth and complexity of the industry and demonstrated an ability to build strong relationships with staff, stakeholders and Government.

“He boasts an extensive corporate background and has a deep understanding of the economics of racing and wagering, the importance of stakeholder engagement, and a genuine passion for the sport.

“Aaron has further demonstrated his capabilities throughout his period as Interim CEO and we’re confident that we have a highly capable person to lead the industry through a key period in its future.”

Morrison has vowed to “hit the ground running”, with the Melbourne spring carnival on the horizon and work towards continued growth of Victorian racing.

“As an owner of multiple horses and a keen punter, I have developed a great love for the sport, an admiration for its equine athletes and respect for those who work tirelessly to put on the show each day,” Morrison said.

“Victorian racing is a leader, whether through the quality of our racing, the strength of our engagement and wagering, or the heritage of our clubs and events, and it’s from this strong base that we need to continue to evolve and improve.

“I also recognise the challenges ahead and the need for necessary change to position us for long-term success and sustainability.”

Morrison in a statement declared “an immediate priority” would be to review the RV Group structure, resources and operations, including industry-owned media businesses.

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Morrison serves on multiple racing industry boards including media companies Racing.com, and RSN 927.

“We need to ensure that we have the right structures and capabilities in place to achieve our goal of maximising returns to participants and those who invest in the sport,” Morrison said.

“This will also include a review of key roles across the group… our future success also requires us to work better together as an industry.

“I will seek to drive greater engagement and collaboration through new industry focused forums, to ensure we leverage the collective experience and ideas from across our sport.”

Morrison joined RV in 2017 after a successful executive career in the entertainment, hospitality and gaming sectors.

Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Association chairman Jonathan Munz, a major critic of the previous RV administration, welcomed Morrison’s appointment.

“We look forward to Aaron officially starting as the new CEO and are confident that he will move quickly to address the concerns of the industry participants,” Munz said.

Originally published as Aaron Morrison appointed new Racing Victoria CEO, succeeding Andrew Jones