Caption: Newly appointed CEO of Greyhounds Australasia, Simon Stout

By PAT McLEOD

Senior racing industry official Simon Stout has been appointed the new CEO of Greyhounds Australasia (GA).

Stout is well known nationally across the three racing codes, especially in Tasmania and Queensland.

The chairman of GA, Rob Vellar, said the board was ‘extremely happy to have Simon on board’.

“The Board congratulates Simon on his appointment,” he said. “Simon brings a wealth of knowledge, especially in the racing policy space – and an understanding of the process that governments go through in developing regulation that impacts on our industry.

“He is well regarded in the racing industry and he is not starting from scratch. He is well and truly on his way in this new role given the relationships he already has right across the country in the three racing codes.

“It is very important to have the right person in the CEO role … and we have been without a substantive CEO for the past six months.”

Stout is currently Racing Queensland’s Industry Policy Manager and previously was RQ’s General Manager – Racing, overseeing greyhounds, thoroughbreds and harness racing. He also served as Interim CEO for three months, leading into Brendan Parnell’s arrival in 2018.

From 2011 through to 2017 he was Thoroughbred Racing Manager for Tasracing.

Stout, who will take up his new role on December 1, said the timing was right for the move.

“I think it is a fantastic opportunity to build on the positive momentum of the industry that is taking place around the country in greyhound racing,” he said.

“My skill set and my experience are well suited to bringing the best out of GA and enhancing our engagement with the States and the broader industry.”

He said his recent experience as RQ’s Industry Policy Manager had great relevance with his GA position.

“At a State (Qld) level, and I have no doubt nationally, we are very proud of how the industry navigated the challenges around Covid and how we have come out the other side,” he said.

“There are collaborative learnings we can apply at GA, making sure that on a daily basis the industry is well serviced, whilst also supporting the broader picture in terms of animal care and integrity across the nation.”

Stout already has plenty of ‘real’ experience in greyhound racing.

“In Queensland I was General Manager of Racing overseeing the three codes and have had the benefit of that operational interface with greyhound racing,” he said. “For the past two years I have been back working across the three codes taking care of industry policy and regulation.

“From a personal perspective, I have had family members who’ve been involved across the three codes of racing. One of my earliest memories is spending time at Ballarat with family, including my uncle, who was a part-time greyhound owner and trainer.

“I am really looking forward to getting out and engaging with all the industry. At GA we want to ensure that we are continuing to provide quality service across the studbook and registrations.

“But I also want to focus on how we can collaborate with industry and support it from the bottom up. And a key to that is building relationships and being approachable. That is how I would like to see GA viewed in the future.

There have also been several changes at GA board level in recent months. The current board is:

Robert Vellar (GA Chair);

Dale Cartwright (GA Deputy Chair) – Director, Racing Queensland;

Peita Duncan – Chair, Greyhound Racing Victoria;

Jean Fahey – Deputy Chair, Greyhound Racing New Zealand;

Michael Gordon – Greyhound Code Director, Tasracing;

Robert Macaulay – Chief Executive Officer, Greyhound Racing New South Wales;

Alastair Shields – Chair, Racing Commission Northern Territory;

David Simonette – Greyhound Operations Manager, Racing and Wagering Western Australia;

Grantley Stevens – Chairman, Greyhound Racing South Australia.