RCA Celebrates International Women’s Day
Women in racing, striding for more.
The sport’s mission statement for the 2021 International Women’s Day is a powerful message that women within horseracing are constantly pushing boundaries to achieve new heights, be it in the boardroom or weighing room.
RCA Chairman Maggie Carver celebrates the successes of Morag Connaghan (Perth) and Caroline Street (Pontefract) at the 2019 RCA Showcase & Awards
At the Racecourse Association (RCA), we are proud of our inclusive spirit. The RCA’s executive team of 11 includes six women, whilst our Board of Directors has consistently welcomed women working at the highest levels within British Racecourses to represent their views. Currently, our Board includes two women: our Chairman Maggie Carver CBE and Hazel Peplinski, Chief Executive of Perth Racecourse.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, the women of the RCA discuss how they play a vital role in maintaining British Racing’s position as one of the elite global jurisdictions and their proudest moments within the sport to date.
Maggie Carver CBE broke new ground when she became Chairman of the RCA in 2015—the first woman to hold this prestigious position since the organisation’s formation in 1907. During her tenure at Chairman, Maggie has played a vital role in some of the sport’s biggest achievements, including signing the historic Members’ Agreement on behalf of racecourses, and the establishment of both the Betting Liaison Group and the Horse Welfare Board. Alongside our industry partners, she has also chaired the industry Members’ Committee, negotiated industry strategy and recruited industry leaders. She has also been a member of the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and the British Horseracing Authority.
As part of her commitment to close dialogue and effective representation of Britain’s 59 racecourses, Maggie has undertaken two national tours of Britain to meet the teams and hear how the RCA can best serve their interests.
Prior to joining the RCA in 2015, Maggie was no stranger to the world of racing as she was Chairman of RaceTech, the sport’s broadcast and services partner, Chief Executive of Channel Four Racing, and a director on the boards of Satellite Information Services and Sporting Index plc. Maggie is also influential in the media and film spheres, being the first woman to chair ITN and the British Board of Film Classification. She is currently Interim Chair of media and telecommunications regulator, Ofcom.
“In my travels around racecourses it has been my privilege to meet many women of exceptional talent and ability and it is incumbent on us all to nurture that talent and give it opportunity so that they can continue to flourish and shine.”
Maggie Carver broke new ground as the first female Chair of the RCA
Hazel Peplinski’s 30 year relationship with the RCA began in 1990 as PR Officer for Scotland and the North of England and has come full circle as Director on behalf of independent racecourses. A major voice in British Racing, notably in Scotland, Hazel is currently Chief Executive of Perth Racecourse having previously been Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course at Hamilton Park.
“As a fanatical sports fan I have been very fortunate to have enjoyed a career in horse-racing. You obviously have to know your industry and I am proud to have been the breeder, owner, trainer, jockey, stable lass and box driver to a winning point-to-pointer” said Hazel.
“Those experiences over many years have given me an empathetic understanding of a wide variety of key stakeholders in our industry. Whilst navigating Perth Racecourse through this pandemic is testing me fully, I am also proud of my close association with the Injured Jockeys Fund and the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff awards; through these roles I can keep in touch with those working with horses day in and day out. From behind my computer screen I frequently wish I was still galloping horses!”
Hazel Peplinski’s (L) deep knowledge and experience within British Racing is vital to the RCA Board
Caroline Davies recently celebrated her 30th anniversary of working at the RCA, a journey that has taken her from Assistant to Director of the Racecourse Services Department. This modern-day record of service at the RCA is testament to Caroline’s knowledge and deep-rooted care for horseracing and British Racecourses. In her time as Racecourse Services Director, Caroline has mentored many colleagues who have since gone onto hold senior leadership positions across the sport.
Caroline’s role is affectionately described in her own words as leader of the “bucket department” in that anything and everything comes into the inbox on a daily basis. Caroline plays an active role in numerous industry committees and boards, including the newly-formed Horse Welfare Board, the Pony Racing Authority and BHA Racecourse Committee. Internally, Caroline chairs a number of the RCA’s working groups across a broad spectrum of subjects, including medical, veterinary and turf management.
Caroline is also the Chairman of the Racegoers Club whose team includes former RCA Sponsorship Executive Mary-Ann Sandercock as Club Manager.
The RCA’s Showcase & Awards has only clocked up a third of Caroline’s years at the RCA but it perhaps would not have made this many were it not for her steadfast resolve that the event had a place in the racecourse calendar. It is now widely accepted as the RCA’s marquee event and the most prestigious of award ceremonies for British Racecourses, receiving international acclaim.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the RCA and being at the centre of many initiatives which have positively impacted the sport” said Caroline. “30 years has truly flown by.
“I think the two elements which give me the most pleasure are the number of colleagues who have come through the RCA and developed into wonderful friends and ultimately leaders in the sport—specific to International Women’s Day it would be remiss not to mention Sarah Montgomery, Sally Iggulden, Amy Starkey and Sophie Able.
“The second is the relationship the RCA has managed to harbour amongst racecourses to share best practice. We’re in healthy competition with one another and it is humbling to see ideas built as a team and then implemented across the country to benefit our great sport.”
Caroline Davies recently celebrated 30 years at the RCA
Holly Cook is approaching 18 years with the RCA having joined as an alumni of the respected BHA Graduate Development Programme, demonstrating this route into the sport can reward those with talent, dedication and knowledge. Holly possesses all three traits in abundance.
As Racecourse Services Manager, Holly is responsible for the research and development behind the scenes which ultimately result in many of the initiatives that make it onto the racecourse. From the BHA General Instructions which govern horse racing to turf management and venue safety protocol the chances are the foundations of these initiatives were created in part by Holly.
The Racecourse Groundstaff Awards have been taken to a new level by Holly and her team, celebrating and rewarding the exceptional work of groundstaff across the country. In the recent #GroundsWeek campaign, Holly discussed the personal pride and satisfaction in working on the Groundstaff Awards with the RCA taking a deeper role in the continued development of teams across Britain under Holly’s leadership.
“My favourite part of my role is taking a new idea and working with a range of stakeholders to collaborate and turn it into a reality—be that a new piece of legislation or developing best practice across racecourses” said Holly. “There’s something to be said for starting with an idea on paper and then seeing it at a racecourse.
“The range of seminars and events that the RCA hosts keeps us all engaged and during the pandemic our twice-annual racecourse fora have become weekly! It’s a great example of how the RCA has adapted to the pandemic to continue to serve the needs of our members.”
Holly Cook plays an invaluable role in ensuring racecourses and British Racing are at the forefront of solid governance
Another name known to many who contact the RCA will be Carol Walker. Carol has been the PA to Racecourse Services for over 17 years and will most likely have been the voice you heard when contacting our office either by phone or email.
Aside from maintaining the diaries of some of the team, managing the RCA’s metal badge scheme and keeping the office in check, Carol edits the RCA’s Update newsletter—the go-to news resource across the sport which itself received a bronze award at the Association Excellence Awards when pitted against significantly larger publications. From a simple email to a professionally designed magazine brimming with content, Update is a shining example of someone upskilling: Carol self-taught herself on professional design software to continue to edit the publication.
“I’ve always enjoyed pulling Update together and it has certainly transformed from when I started to what it looked like before we ceased publication due to the pandemic” said Carol. “I can’t promise the self-training wasn’t without hiccup (and the odd swear word) but I’m proud to have done it and say I can use Adobe Creative Cloud software. There’s never a wrong time to learn a new skill.
“Over the years at the RCA I’ve seen many colleagues come and go onto senior positions within the sport. I love seeing those that we’ve worked with and mentored pop up again—we all take a great deal of satisfaction in that.”
Carol Walker is the heartbeat of the RCA office and editor of the industry newsletter Update
Paula Mohabir joined the RCA mid-pandemic and has coped with the difficult task of having never met the majority of the team in person! As Finance Manager & Business Analyst, Paula’s responsibilities include working closely with all racecourses on a range of projects relating to finance and data management, most recently helping racecourses affected by the pandemic to utilise the various relief funding available to them. Working alongside Paula is Jackie Tizzard who herself has been with the RCA for 23 years and ensures all invoices and our team are paid on time in addition to looking after the health and safety of the office.
Paula’s background in both the racing and financial sectors brings a wealth of knowledge to the RCA team and sport as a whole. Prior to joining the RCA, Paula worked as Financial Controller of Racecourse Media Group (RMG), three years as Group Management Accountant with Jockey Club London and consultancy to a variety of large businesses with Wagner Accountants.
“I first got the racing bug when working as a management accountant at Sandown Park Racecourse” said Paula. “This definitely shaped my future career and I’m so pleased that I chose to work in racing—it has given me so much and so many fond memories.”
The newest member of the RCA team, Tabitha Killingbeck joined in March 2021 as another alumni of the BHA Graduate Development Programme. Tabitha’s role as Racecourse Services Executive means she plays a vital role in assisting racecourses with their operational and safety procedures as well as taking a hands-on part in administering a number of the RCA’s badge schemes.
Prior to joining the RCA, Tabitha worked at Ascot Racecourse. This dream job for one starting out in the sport came with a caveat of working during the Covid-19 pandemic, offering a truly unique experience.
“Despite being relatively new to the racing industry, I have experienced a host of exciting moments in the sport” said Tabitha. “One that stands out is working on the 2020 Royal Ascot at Home campaign. It was amazing to see how the sport brought thousands of people together during a global pandemic in an individual way. It made me realise how sport, especially racing, had a powerful impact on everyone around the world and gave them a ‘constant’ during such uncertain times. To be a part of the team working on this campaign was an amazing feeling.”
The RCA welcomes and empowers all colleagues. Our team is rightly proud of its achievements and we look forward to seeing them continuing in future. The work listed here as part of the celebration of International Women’s Day 2021 demonstrates the key role women play both in our organisation and British Racing as a whole.
