Vella, who is currently in her early 30s, commenced a Bachelor of Commerce - Marketing and HR Management - at the University of Otago in 2008 with the intention of moving to London and working in corporate HR. However, her decision to take up a friend's offer and complete a yearling prep at Bluegables Farm was the sliding doors moment that changed the trajectory of her future.
“In my first uni summer holidays I needed a job, and while I had nothing to do with horses my sister had a couple on the farm and when my friend explained what I'd have to do (doing a yearling prep), I thought that sounded easy enough,” Vella told TDN AusNZ.
“After my first week of yearling prep, I was calling my mum and telling her I didn’t want to do it anymore as it was tough, but she said I had to see the season out and eventually I started to see how the yearlings I was prepping responded and I just fell completely in love with the horse.”
Tanita Vella (far right) and the Little Avondale staff of the 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sale
Vella would continue to complete yearling preps during her summer breaks, working for Little Avondale Stud before arriving at Bruce and Maureen Harvey’s Ascot Farm.
When looking to transition into full-time work in 2011 ‘fate’ saw Vella come across a bloodstock internship at Inglis and while she didn’t secure the position, she was offered a marketing role and with little thought accepted the offer and relocated to Sydney soon after.
“I flew over to Australia for the interview and when I arrived back in New Zealand, I was offered the marketing internship, I said yes, then realised the impact of the decision as I’d just taken on a job in Australia, a country I’d been to once and knew three people,” Vella said.
"I was offered the marketing internship (at Inglis), I said yes, then realised the impact of the decision as I’d just taken on a job in Australia, a country I’d been to once and knew three people.” - Tanita Vella
“The first six months I struggled because I had left all my family and friends behind but after a year, I got to know the city more, met some friends and started to really feel like this was a great industry to work in.”
Vella thoroughly enjoyed her time at Inglis where she worked alongside a ‘fantastic’ group of young individuals who have since gone on to forge successful careers in racing, including Gabrielle Nutt, Harry McAlpine and her partner James Mitchell.
Chris Russell, Craig Carmody, Lady Sansa, James Mitchell and Tanita Vella
Vella said working at an auction house provided a great foundation for someone who wasn’t born into the industry, and she is forever grateful to Jonathan D’Arcy and Cassandra Simmonds for their early influence, Inglis’ Managing Director Mark Webster and her manager at the time Bonnie Connellan for providing the freedom to grow within the role.
“Mark (Webster) was one of my main mentors, he allowed me to make my time at Inglis whatever I made of it,” she said.
“We introduced InglisTV and it started with me wandering around interviewing people. I had no skills in doing that, but Mark encouraged me to do it as he is such a big believer in digital, and we are now seeing the outcome of what we started.”
Mark Webster | Image courtesy of Inglis
In 2017, after six years at Inglis, Vella applied for the Digital Executive position at Godolphin, however, fate stepped in again, and the role of Marketing Executive for the Darley stallions became available, a position she would maintain until July 2020 before assuming her current role as Marketing and Media Manager.
Vella said Godolphin Australia’s Managing Director Vin Cox has been an influential figure in her life and has shaped how she operates within her current position.
She takes great pride in marketing Darley’s brilliant stallion roster and supporting the growth of its charitable arm, which gives back to the industry through its various initiatives, such as Godolphin Flying Start, Club Godolphin and the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards.
Vin Cox
“(Leaving Inglis) was more about timing, Inglis was moving out to Warwick Farm, I had been there for six years and it just felt right,” Vella said.
“Working for Godolphin is fantastic, it’s very similar to Inglis in that you can see things from both sides, Godolphin both breeding and racing and Inglis both buyer and vendor. The experience has been amazing and I’m very lucky.”
“Working for Godolphin is fantastic, it’s very similar to Inglis in that you can see things from both sides... The experience has been amazing and I’m very lucky.” - Tanita Vella
It would be hard to find a more driven individual than Vella, who, since 2019, has also found time in her evenings to proofread TDN AusNZ’s content before the publication goes live each night.
To complement this with further education, Vella is also in the process of completing an intensive five-week Business Course with Seth Godin's altMBA to help further develop her skillset, as she is motivated to improve an industry that has given her so much.
“What it (managing a big workload) has taught me is time management and the value of time, it’s not too dissimilar from a trainer, they start working early in the morning through to 8pm at night and my schedule is just the other way around. It’s a lot of work but you don’t get far without hard work,” Vella said.
April 2017, Inglis staff members celebrating 150 years
“My advice (to young people) is to give this industry a try, give it a go and work hard, because the harder you work the luckier you get.
“Also work without an ego, I have probably asked more naïve questions than educated ones and what I tell the (Godolphin) Flying Starters is that the one silly question is an unasked question because in this industry no one will shame you for just having a crack.”
