Newmarket Racecourses names Amy Starkey as new managing director

THIRTY-year-old Amy Starkey is to take over the reins as managing director at one of the country’s top racecourses.

Newmarket Racecourses trumpeted her successful management pedigree as it announced her appointment yesterday.

Ms Starkey currently holds the same position at Kempton Park Racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames.

In her current role with Jockey Club Racecourses, British racing’s largest racecourse group, she has delivered financial performances well above targets, negotiated high profile and lucrative sponsorship deals and attracted a wider audience of racegoers through innovative promotional activities.

Today she oversees the running of 95 fixtures a year, including the William Hill King George VI Chase. She is also responsible for a conference and events business at the Middlesex venue that generates more than �1.5million in turnover each year.

Ms Starkey will begin her new role at Newmarket in a few weeks’ time at a date to be agreed. She succeeds Stephen Wallis, who recently took up a new senior role within Jockey Club Racecourses of group director of international and racing relations. Gary Tate has been acting managing director of Newmarket Racecourses in the interim and will return to his role as finance director at the course once she arrives.

Ms Starkey said she was “hugely honoured” to be chosen. “Newmarket is famous the world over as the home of Flat racing in Britain.

“I aim to use the experience I’ve built up as managing director at two of the other racecourses in the Jockey Club Racecourses family to make a success of my new position,” she said.