We are seeking to appoint a new Chair to the Horserace Betting Levy Board following the sad death of Paul Darling in August 2024. We are looking to appoint a candidate with strong leadership and relationship management qualities, excellent communication skills and experience in being responsible for the strategic distribution of funding and spending decisions. This is an exciting opportunity to work with both the public and private sector in supporting one of Britain’s greatest sports. The Chair will be responsible for providing leadership to the Board, working closely with Government and the racing and betting sectors to build and maintain good relationships. The Chair will oversee a rigorous Levy collection process and also ensure that Levy funds are spent effectively and in accordance with the statutory objectives, so that it continues to meet racing’s needs and delivers against the Levy Board’s strategic objectives. The successful candidate will be required to be in place as soon as appointed. British horseracing plays an important part in supporting the British economy, contributing £4.1 billion annually and directly employing 18,000 people in racing and breeding. Racing is the second-largest spectator sport in Britain after football and its prestigious festivals are amongst Britain’s sporting crown jewels, including The Cheltenham Festival; The Grand National; and Royal Ascot. The Horserace Betting Levy Board plays an integral role in ensuring the continued success of the sport by collecting the Levy from betting operators and administering the statutory Levy annually. The Levy, which in recent years has raised around £100m annually, provides funding for the improvement of horseracing and veterinary science and equine welfare. Appointment description The Chair will be required to: provide leadership to the Board to maximise the impact of the 2017 reforms and oversee the collection of the Levy and strategic distribution decisions; uphold the highest standards of governance and ensure that the Levy Board discharges its statutory duties; agree the strategic direction of the Levy Board, taking into account the views of racing, bookmakers, veterinary groups, breeding associations and other interested parties to deliver against the Levy Board’s strategic objectives; review the performance of Board members and executives and ensure skills and experience are appropriately deployed; and drive effective relationships with senior stakeholders, including the Government, betting, racing and veterinary industries. The Chair will be required to represent the views of the Board and will ensure that the Board's decisions are made in accordance with Government issued rules, guidance and transparency. The Chair will also support the Accounting Officer in promoting the efficient and effective use of staff and other resources and the delivery of high standards of regularity and propriety. Organisation description About the Horserace Betting Levy Board The Horserace Betting Levy Board is a statutory body established by the Betting Levy Act 1961 and is an arm’s-length body of Government. The HBLB is required to assess and collect the Levy from GB and online betting operators who take bets on British horseracing; and distribute the Levy in line with the statutory purposes set out in the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963. The levy is currently charged at 10% of gross profits made by betting operators on British horseracing, above a de minimis amount of £500,000. Therefore the Levy yield fluctuates from year to year necessitating the Board’s retention of appropriate levels of reserves. The HBLB will apply the Levy for purposes conducive to any one or more of: The improvement of breeds of horses. The advancement or encouragement of veterinary science or veterinary education. The improvement of horseracing The current, three-year business plan for HBLB has four goals which are supported by 13 Racing Outcomes (aspirations for the sport). The business plan can be found at https://hblb.org.uk/page/27. Following a series of consultations on options for modernising the Levy, the Government implemented significant reforms to the Horserace Betting Levy in April 2017 by fixing the Levy rate at 10% and extending the scope of the Levy to include offshore online bookmakers for the first time. The reforms resulted in an extra £45m in statutory Levy income for 2017/18, totalling £95m in Levy in 2017/18. The government continues to consider evidence obtained during a review of the Levy undertaken in 2023/4. Board composition Board Composition at the Horserace Betting Levy Board Regulation of appointment This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website Person specification Essential criteria The successful candidate will need to demonstrate in their application the following essential criteria: Have the ability to chair and encourage participation and information sharing and to challenge constructively; have a strong understanding of corporate governance and a commitment to the principles of public sector propriety, regularity and accountability; a strong understanding of budgetary forecasting and management, funding strategy and funding decision-making and be able to provide vision and strategic thinking to the Board; experience in working with stakeholders at senior levels across sectors and be able to achieve consensus and retain stakeholder confidence. The Secretary of State will, however, need to be satisfied that the successful candidate has no interests connected with horse racing which might hinder them from discharging their functions as a member of the Board in an impartial manner, as set out in the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963. Desirable criteria Knowledge of the racing and betting industries is desirable rather than essential, but a willingness to develop such knowledge would be expected, including attendance at some race meetings.