Simon Cox has been named as the new chair of the British Horseracing Authority, while David Williams takes over leadership of the Horseracing Bettors Forum.
The two appointments bring contrasting professional backgrounds to the heart of a sport navigating a deeply unsettled period in its history.
Cox will begin a three-year term at the BHA on 1 October, ending the organisation’s search for a permanent chair following considerable instability at the top.
Lord Allen resigned from the chair position in March after just six months in the post, with his departure linked to a failure among racing’s constituent bodies to agree on planned governance changes.
David Jones has been serving as interim chair in the months since, with the BHA keen to restore long-term stability to its leadership structure.
Cox, 58, brings more than three decades of experience in the drinks industry, having served as Molson Coors’ European president and chief executive from 2014, with his responsibilities later extending to Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
The business he oversaw employed around 6,500 people and generated roughly £2bn in annual turnover, giving Cox significant commercial credibility ahead of his new role.
His connection to racing is far from superficial, having owned racehorses for more than 15 years, with four horses currently in training and 10 broodmares kept at Shade Oak Stud.
He joined the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association board in 2021 and chairs the BHA’s Jump Pattern Committee, though he will step down from both roles before officially joining the BHA board.
Dr. Jim Walker, chair of the Racehorse Owners Association and an economist with direct ownership experience, has also joined the BHA board to represent owners, breeders and licensed personnel.
Cox inherits a challenging landscape, with ongoing disputes over funding, governance, racehorse welfare and the sport’s broader relationship with the government all demanding urgent attention.
The financial backdrop has grown increasingly difficult, with the government concluding its levy review in March without increasing the existing 10% rate that funds British racing’s development.
The UK Gambling Commission has approved staged financial risk assessments for high-spending customers, a development backed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport but met with alarm by racing’s leadership.
BHA CEO Brant Dunshea responded sharply, saying the decision shows “a clear abdication of duty by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which has failed to grip this process or properly consider the damaging consequences of the decision.”
British racing has argued that increased betting friction will reduce turnover and ultimately cut the levy receipts on which the sport depends for prize money and infrastructure.
The 2026 race programme does include £4.4m in additional prize-money funding as part of a £77.1m Levy Board package, providing some financial encouragement despite the wider pressures.
Williams, meanwhile, succeeds Sean Trivass, who had chaired the Horseracing Bettors Forum for more than four years before stepping down last week.
The HBF was established in 2015 with BHA support and exists to represent British racing bettors, providing input on betting policy to racing bodies, though it holds no statutory powers.
Williams has spent his career in education, beginning as a modern languages teacher before becoming a headteacher and subsequently working as an education director.
Before departing, Trivass was outspoken on affordability checks, stating in April: “The HBF has always argued against the idea of affordability checks, and supports the concept that everyone should be free to spend their money legally as they see fit.”
Trivass added that checks “remain anything but frictionless, with highly personal information regularly requested, and that is distant from the promised solution,” a concern Williams will now carry forward on behalf of recreational punters.
