Newbury appoints leading events manager Shaun Hinds as chief executive and successor to Julian Thick

Shaun Hinds will become Newbury racecourse's new chief executive in 2024, replacing Julian Thick who announced his resignation in the summer.

Newmarket-born Hinds takes over after working for six years at Manchester Central Convention Centre, the largest city centre events complex in the UK. He was praised for bringing an "entrepreneurial perspective to Newbury" by the racecourse chairman Dominic Burke.

Hinds is expected to officially start in the summer of 2024, replacing Thick, who has been at the helm in a transformative era for the course during which houses and apartments, home to around 1,500 residents, have been developed during a ten-year tenure.

Shaun Hinds: announced as the new chief executive at Newbury from next summer

The appointment has been welcomed by Burke, who in September warned of the "headwinds" facing the racing industry after the track reported a loss during the first half of the year. Despite its challenges, the racecourse saw an upturn of crowds for its two music nights, with Tom Jones drawing in its post-pandemic record attendance of 18,750.

Next year the racecourse starts its new media rights agreement with live coverage switching from Racing TV to Sky Sports Racing, and it will host 11 Premier racedays as part of the new shake-up to Britain's race programme in the new year.

It is hoped that Hinds's appointment will help Newbury's plan to improve its race programme – which includes the Coral Gold Cup, Lockinge Stakes and Challow Novices' Hurdle. Prize-money has been an issue at the course, which came under fire when trainers organised a boycott of a maiden in July 2022.

Datsalrightgino: winner of the 2023 Coral Gold CupCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Burke said: “Shaun has a longstanding interest in racing stemming from his childhood in Newmarket and will work closely with clerk of the course George Hill as we continue to build on our world-class racing programme. 

“Shaun’s proven success in running a business with multiple physical assets combined with his wealth of commercial experience made him the outstanding candidate. He will bring an exciting and entrepreneurial perspective to Newbury as we continue to grow our customer base in both the consumer and business communities.“

He added: “Julian has made an enormous contribution to Newbury over the past ten years. He has led the team with great skill and calmness, and been instrumental in delivering the redevelopment, which now enables us to look forward with such optimism. We wish him the very best for the future.”

Hinds has overseen a successful period for Manchester Central, which boasted record turnover of £25.6m in 2022. It has hosted a number of major events during Hinds's time in charge including the Conservative Party conference in October, while during the Covid pandemic it was transformed into a Nightingale hospital for 12 months.

Hinds, who was named Greater Manchester's Leader of the Year in 2022, previously spent 25 years at BridgeStreet Global Hospitality, a major provider of serviced apartments.

He said: “It’s a great privilege to be joining a racecourse with the prestige and heritage of Newbury, and I’d like to thank Dominic and the board for the opportunity. 

"I’m tremendously excited to be joining such a fantastic team and look forward to capitalising on the superb recent redevelopment and delivering the next chapter in this racecourse’s great history.”

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