November 1, 2017
Two senior Australian Turf Club executives will act as temporary joint Chief Executive Officers following the resignation of founding CEO Darren Pearce.
James Heddo (EGM Racing Services and Membership) and Matt Galanos (Chief Financial and Operations Officer) will act in the role from 1 December, 2017.
The Australian Turf Club will now undertake due process in its search for a new CEO.
ATC Chairman Laurie Macri said: “We thank Darren for his service and I have every confidence that James and Matt can work together as we undertake a formal process of seeking and appointing a new CEO.’’
With almost 30 years experience in the racing industry, including seven years as CEO of Gosford Racing Club, Mr Heddo joined the ATC in February 2016 as EGM Racing, and since then his portfolio has expanded to include Membership, Raceday Experience and Racing Facilities.
After a career in chartered accounting and commercial roles with blue-chip companies, Mr Galanos joined the ATC in July 2013 as Chief Financial Officer. In addition to managing ATC’s financial obligations, Mr Galanos has led major projects including the implementation of Point Of Sale systems across all ATC venues and the transition to an integrated digital ticketing platform.
Mr Galanos also leads the ATC’s award-winning Hospitality and Events team.