New Racing Queensland board member Susannah George wants to unite the past with the future

INTERNET entrepreneur Susannah George comes from a famous racing pedigree and is determined to connect the history and the future of the sport.

Susannah George wants to look at using digital media to reinvigorate the existing racing community’s love for racing. Picture: Sarah Marshall

INTERNET entrepreneur Susannah George comes from a famous racing pedigree and is determined to connect the history and the future of the sport.

The Urban List founder and digital marketer, one of the new Racing Queensland board independent members, wants to explore how emerging technologies can improve the racing experience.

George, 34, is the granddaughter of former Wallaby, District Court Judge and Brisbane Amateur Turf Club chairman (1974-91) Eddie Broad.

And she is the great-granddaughter of another former BATC chairman, Daniel O’Mara (1945-54).

“I feel like I have been given an incredible privilege to be able to connect both the history and future of racing,” George told The Courier-Mail.

“Racing’s history is very important but there is also a really strong case for evaluating emerging technologies.

“I think it is really important to cultivate an exceptional experience for racing patrons.

I want to look at using digital media and digital marketing to reinvigorate the existing racing community’s love for racing. And we have to work hard to attract a new demographic to racing and give them reasons to become involved.

Susannah George

“I want to look at using digital media and digital marketing to reinvigorate the existing racing community’s love for racing. And we have to work hard to attract a new demographic to racing and give them reasons to become involved.

“My experience with Urban List is why I am on this board and, more specifically, my experiences working out what it is people want from a social experience both on and off line.

“But before any of the new board start driving new initiatives, we want to do a review of the existing racing landscape in Queensland.”

Susannah George is eager to explore how emerging technologies can improve the racing experience.

George’s first holiday job was weighing trucks at Bundaberg’s weighbridge station and she went on to have a stint in luxury goods marketing in Paris and then communications in Los Angeles.

In 2011 she founded The Urban List, which is a popular, hand-selected guide to a city’s best businesses and brands.

She is a go-getter who has had a post-it note stuck to her desk for years which reads “a great leader is one who inspires others to lead”.

The proud new mum knows she will have her hands full juggling her 12-week-old baby Xavier, her Urban List job and her new role on the RQ board.

But she says she can’t wait to get involved in racing and will hit the ground running when she goes to the Albion Park trots on Saturday night.

“I got a phone call from Steve Wilson (new Racing Queensland chairman) when my son was about three weeks old,” George says.

“He encouraged me to apply for the board job because he thought my business experiences would be a really good fit.

“It was a busy time for me, being a new mum, but I rang him back and said I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

“It gives me a chance to build on my grandfather and my great grandfather’s racing legacy and hopefully do some good things for racing in Queensland.”

Susannah George is the founder of Urban List, which is a popular, hand-selected guide to a city’s best businesses and brands. Picture: Sarah Marshall

Originally published as New Racing Queensland board member Susannah George wants to unite the past with the future