Atholl Duncan takes on interim BHA chairman role as Harman steps down

Atholl Duncan has formally taken on the role of interim chairman of the BHA after Steve Harman stepped down from the position on Monday.

Harman, who took over from Paul Roy as BHA chairman in 2013, is leaving the governing body several months early following a crisis precipitated by his meetings with Alex Frost – the chief executive of Alizeti, which has bought a stake in the Tote – at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Harman was accused of a conflict of interest and, while he was cleared by a BHA investigation, inconsistencies in his explanation of events led to a compromise in which he would step down before his second three-year term officially ended.