Contenders line up to replace Jones as Racing Victoria CEO

Racing Victoria could be spoiled for choice with at least three quality credentialed candidates vying for the chief executive vacancy.

Contenders for the Racing Victoria CEO role include (from left) Aaron Morrison, Sean Carroll and Steve Rosich.

Racing Victoria could be spoiled for choice with at least three quality credentialed candidates vying for the chief executive vacancy.

Aaron Morrison, the current RV chief operating and financial officer, was installed interim chief executive less than a fortnight ago after the resignation of Andrew Jones.

This masthead has confirmed Victorian Racing Integrity Commissioner Sean Carroll and outgoing Victoria Racing Club chief executive Steve Rosich boast aspirations for the top job.

Rosich last month gave the VRC board his notice of resignation, a move required contractually for him to explore other opportunities.

It’s understood Carroll, a former Victoria Police detective and Cricket Australia head of integrity and security, has also been sounded out for the role.

Morrison not only has the advantage of incumbency, but a deep knowledge of the Victorian racing, wagering and financial landscape with seven years’ CFO and COO experience.

While juggling CFO and COO responsibilities this past fortnight, Morrison has championed a “positive agenda” with key stakeholders, including racing club executives, chairmen and representatives of participant groups.

💬 "That's where the focus is going to be..."

What to expect from interim @RacingVictoria CEO, Aaron Morrison 👉 https://t.co/0AbToJjVt3@m_felgate | #RacingPulsepic.twitter.com/CeJKB01NyQ

— RSN Racing & Sport (@RSN927) May 15, 2024

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“I’m in the chair at the moment, I’ve got the opportunity to push on with a few things I know are important to stakeholders and try and find some stability for our team,” Morrison said.

“Work on building some of the relationships throughout the industry with key stakeholders.”

A passionate horse owner and punter, Morrison said Victorian racing had a lot to be proud of.

“We are the leaders on a variety of important measures, whether that be attendance at the races, the best events, returns to owners and breeders,” Morrison said.

“We’re the number one wagering product, so we’re doing a lot of things right, there’s always room to build, but we should be focusing on those positives and building more, in the near term at least that is the first priority.

“Trying to reframe the narrative and have something for the participants and stakeholders to be proud of, because they do a fantastic job and maybe there’s a need for them to be reminded of that.”

Jones, an accomplished change maker, at times alienated participants with a desire to focus on new fans.

Racing Victoria CEO Andrew Jones with retired racehorse Harlem at The Festival of Racing Launch at Port Melbourne Yacht Club on February 06, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Pat Scala/Racing Photos via Getty Images)

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“There’s nothing wrong with the principles the previous CEO articulated, focusing on the next wave and growth of the sport is important,” Morrison said.

“But not perhaps at the exclusion of looking after our current owners, fans and participants, that’s probably where I’ll be focused, making sure the people involved are recognised and looked after appropriately.”

Morrison, “right in the thick of” the annual planning cycle and financial modelling, highlighted the balance between prizemoney and the overall cost base.

“The real priority is to try and make sure we can at least maintain prizemoney at current levels,” Morrison said.

“Ideally, we’d love to see that grow but it is a challenging financial environment.

“We’re doing all we can to at least do that and maintain all of those important, things like club funding and infrastructure investment – if income is going to be challenged we then have to look at our cost base.

“There’s a lot of work being done around that on the RV side and also the Racing.com side, which is a big part of the business and a really important asset, but it also has to make sure it operates as efficiently as possible.

“We fight really hard for the funds we get from government and funds we obtain through our wagering partnerships and we’ve got to make sure we spend those funds wisely, efficiently, appropriately and ideally we maximise what we divert to the industry and participants.”

Morrison has a Racing Australia board meeting on Thursday, his first official engagement as interim chief executive.

Originally published as Contenders line up to replace Jones as Racing Victoria CEO