About 20 years ago Richard Goodbody was writing harness racing stories for a country paper and soon, he’ll be running the sport.
It was revealed today Goodbody, a highly respected sport and racing administrator, will be Harness Racing Australia’s new Chief Executive Officer.
The 43-year-old will next month replace Andrew Kelly, who has been HRA CEO for the past 17 years, at the most crucial time in the history of the sport.
HRA chairman Graeme Campbell OAM said he and the HRA board were thrilled to land someone of Goodbody’s broad experience, credentials and enthusiasm.
“Richard was chosen from an extremely high quality list of applicants. He fully understands the challenges of the industry and has experience in marketing, communication and government relations which holds him in good stead,” he said.
“He has a history of strong engagement and communication skills with racing industry stakeholders, which will be a huge asset.”
Goodbody, a journalist at the Shepparton News from 2004-07, has spent the past seven years in senior roles at Racing Queensland, most recently as Executive General Manager of Customer and Corporate Affairs.
Crucially, he brings vast experience from outside racing through stints in key roles as General Manager at Townsville Fire (basketball) which saw him named as a finalist for Queensland Sports Administrator of the Year, along with communications and marketing roles at Cricket Australia and Bowls Australia.
“I’m grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to work alongside the incredible participants involved in the sport,” Goodbody said.
“It’s an exciting but equally challenging time to be taking the reins at HRA after Andrew’s long tenure in the role.
“As part of my discussions with the Executive, I’ve expressed my desire for HRA to be stakeholder focused, whilst at the same time driving participation and advocacy to all levels of government.”
Goodbody’s passion for racing shines through with wanting to “sell” the good stories of industry and take them to a broader audience.
“We have a great story to tell, particularly when it comes to grassroots and animal welfare, and part of my job is to bring a new set of eyes and some fresh ideas to do that more often,” he said.
“The TAB Everest last Saturday is the perfect example of being big and bold and equally prepared to do things differently to cater to a new audience but it’s not isolated to the thoroughbreds.
“We’ve seen that work with the TAB Eureka and I’m sure we will continue to see more of that during the Summer of Glory or the Nullarbor or the Ultimate Drivers Series.
“There’s a lot we can be proud of and I’m looking forward to commencing in the new role and getting into it.”
Goodbody will assume the role at a time the National Ratings System, Stallion Levy and future of the TAB Eureka are being hotly debated.
