Amanda Elliott - Q & A

TDN AusNZ caught up with Amanda to discuss the issues at play at the election, to reflect on her legacy in the role of Chairman, the challenges confronting the industry, in particular the Melbourne Cup, and what she sees in the future for the VRC.

Bren O'Brien: Amanda, thanks for taking the time to chat. Firstly, for you, what is this board election about and what considerations should the VRC members be making in casting their votes?

Amanda Elliott: The important point about this election is that the fact the three new directors, who were appointed earlier this year and are standing for election, we went to great lengths to secure them. They have been secured on the basis of the skills that are required for the VRC's immediate and long-term future.

The strategic vision we have for Flemington is very ambitious going forward and we needed to appoint three directors who have the skills set we require to execute that vision.

We feel we have those three directors in Vin Cox, Dave Barham and Michael Saadie. Dave is a media expert and media is a big part of our future plans, Vin has cross pollination of enormous, deep racing skills and connections, as well as international experience.

Michael Saadie is a very senior executive in the National Australia Bank, who has lived in London and has run very senior arms of the National Bank. Our ambitious strategy has to be underpinned by a solid balance sheet and so his expertise is very important in those areas.

The importance around this election is to return a board with these candidates, as well as Neil Wilson, our new Chairman, and Glenn Carmody, our Treasurer, who will be able to realise that strategic vision.

That's what I’ll be doing as a member!

Bren O'Brien: How important is it for the VRC board to have a clear mandate for members and a clear vision leading the Club forward from a tumultuous 2020 globally?

AE: It's absolutely vital. The VRC is the masthead for racing in Australia and it’s the premier racing club. It’s globally recognised as a flagbearer and in that, we always have to put our best foot forward in leading the racing jurisdictions. We need to be able to show the world that not only do we have fantastic racing here, but that it is well run, and that it’s forward looking and forward thinking.

We want to show that we can be a template for others to follow. I think we have done that with our infrastructure, in particular the Club Stand. It is an absolutely world-class facility, and in fact world leading, because there is no grandstand or facility on a racecourse around the world that has done as much to redefine what a raceday experience for racing and non-racing people.

I feel it is really important that racing engages with both racing and non-racing people, so that they can develop into fans. We want them to understand that a day out at the races is a really good experience.

Bren O'Brien: Reflecting on your time as Chairman of the Club, what do you feel has been your most significant achievement?

AE: The Club Stand is one of them, I was put in charge of that project well before I was made Chairman. But during my time as Chairman, the thing I have been most proud of is the way we have shifted the emphasis in a strategic sense to a much more forward looking, positive and confident leadership position in racing.

Certainly expending the global footprint, engaging new commercial partners and the development of new facilities has been important as well as the expansion of conversations with a broader network than just racing people. We have shown global businesses the ability that racing has to provide a platform for incredible networking opportunities.

Because of racing's many touchpoints, outside of the wonderful sport itself, it has an ability to showcase all sorts of other things. It’s not just two hours in a seat watching a game of football, it is all day, in beautiful surroundings, with a sport attached to a day that can provide a showcase for fashion or food, for businesses or networking. I don’t think racing has ever realised that full potential outside those major festivals.

When you look at Cup week, which puts $450 million into the state economy every year, it gives the most wonderful opportunity to showcase Melbourne. You have 37 per cent of the 350,000 attendees during a Melbourne Cup carnival coming from interstate or overseas. Now there is a captive audience!

Bren O'Brien: What have been the biggest challenges?

AE: Obviously COVID-19 has been a nightmare, but putting that to one side overall, most of the challenges have been external to what we have been doing at Flemington.

We have had a situation where we feel New South Wales has not been able to take a national approach to racing, whereas we believe we have an absolute responsibility to do that. That's regrettable, because I think we would be all much better if we respect each other's boundaries and take a national approach for the benefit of Australian racing.

Welfare is the obvious other one, but I have been really encouraged by the collaboration that has taken place. The breeders recognise that the future of racing needs to be assured and without racing, there is no industry for them to operate.

I also applaud the efforts of each of the PRAs in Australia to do what they can and certainly at the VRC, we recognise we can always do better. As a club, it’s about much more than just financially contributing to a solution. We released a series of recommended measures this week for international Melbourne Cup runners. We want to leave no stone unturned in terms of what we can do around the safety of racing.

For me personally, the challenge has probably been the fact we have so many exciting things to do, and only so much time to do it. I have so much optimism around the future of racing and the future of the Flemington and the VRC.

Bren O'Brien: Being the first female Chairman of the VRC in 153 years, do see yourself as a trailblazer for female administrators in the industry?

AE: Absolutely. The importance of women in leadership roles can not be overstated. There are a lot of women in this industry and there needs to be representation at every level. I really feel proud of the fact that I may have made it easier for others to step up in the future.

Hopefully, future generations of women will understand that gender need not be a barrier to leadership of our organisations, which have been traditionally bastions of male dominance. I'm really proud that by me being a female Chairman, it has made it more possible.

I might be the first, but I certainly won't be the last.

Bren O'Brien: Do you have an opinion on if a 'quota policy' should be adopted by racing administration boards to even out gender imbalances?

AE: No, I'm against those quota policies because I think that these things should always be determined on merit. We need a bit more female representation in leadership roles, but that will come. The world is changing and women are feeling stronger and have more confidence in those roles, which have traditionally been occupied by men.

Every organisation should be seeking the best people regardless of gender, and I hope that one day gender won't be an issue and it will never be a problem. It will just be the best person for the job.

Bren O'Brien: The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s greatest race. How concerned are you that its reputation is being undermined by the current situation around horse welfare?

AE: Clearly, there are people who would like to see the race under threat. There are people who are against racing, and then there are people who are perhaps a little envious of its position as Australia's greatest race.

It has become Australia's greatest race for lots of reasons. It's got 160 years of history, and it’s a truly national day, which is observed by racing and non-racing people. The Cup itself is much bigger than just a horse race.

The internationalisation of the Cup with Vintage Crop's win in 1993 made an extraordinary difference to the quality of the race. It is a fantastic, two mile staying race. It is the championship two-mile staying race in the world. For that, it should be celebrated.

The challenges have all been around the accidents and the attrition rate and that has clearly worried all of us, particularly in the past six or seven years. That is why it is part of the steps we are taking, we are looking at an independent panel to vet these horses, before they step onto a plane, or even before they go into quarantine. It seems to be the international horses, which it seems to be impacting most.

We are working in collaboration with Racing Victoria to help ensure we minimise any risk to all horses, no matter where they come from.

This is a great race. It’s a race that attracts people from all over the world and it changes people's lives. There are very few races in the world, maybe a handful, that have that impact, and that reputation, and the Melbourne Cup is one of them.

As custodians we're very, very proud of that and are very much aware of the need to preserve that. It’s a huge responsibility.

Bren O'Brien: With this challenge in mind, how does that fit into the outcome of the upcoming VRC Board election, and the need for people with that specific subject matter knowledge to address these issues?

AE: It’s crucial to that challenge. We take our responsibility in this regard very seriously. These are honorary positions. We don’t get paid for being on the Board. There is considerable work involved in overseeing this big organisation that employs 200 full-time staff and has the custodianship of something as important as Cup week, which is Australia's original major event.

What we do here touches so many other businesses, whether they be retail, fashion, food, transport, breeding, training or whatever, the ripple effect of the success of what do in Cup week needs to be understood.

It’s not just the VRC and the members which rely on the good work done by the directors, there is a lot more. That's evidenced, very comply, by the $450 million that gets pushed into state coffers each year through Cup week.

Bren O'Brien: What initiatives are currently underway within the VRC that you’d particularly love to see flourish in the next five to 10 years?

AE: The expansion of our global strategy is something I'm looking forward to seeing. The World Horse Racing media group is fabulous and on top of that, the expansion of our relationship with the top international racing festivals around the world. I mean that in both a racing and membership sense.

I would love to see the realisation of the concept of a VRC and Racing Victoria led central rural facility for thoroughbreds, be it for training, apprentice schools or whatever. You can have horses be raised and trained in a rural environment, with uphill gallops and everything they need to prosper.

I feel that feeds into another aspect, which is about the health and wellbeing of people in our industry. We want our industry to attract people looking for a career which can have work-life balance. For me, that requires a normal day. When you have training situated on racecourses, that becomes very difficult, so you have people working these rather unnatural hours.

It may take 10 years to get to that point but I’d love to see a training facility set-up, somewhere maybe just north of Melbourne, near an international airport, where we can host not just our local trainers and staff, but international trainers as well. They can then have that Australian experience as well.

Bren O'Brien: Thanks for you time, Amanda.