Liz Clarke elected as Chair of Canberra Racing Club

The Canberra Racing Club Committee last night unanimously elected Liz Clarke as Chair of the Club, making her the first woman to serve in the role. 

A former senior executive in the ACT Government, Clarke was first elected to the Committee in 2020 and served as Vice Chair in the last year.

Clarke, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, said she was honoured to be appointed Chair, particularly as the first woman to hold the position, and at a time when the Club is about to launch its major redevelopment.

“This is a critical time for the Club and I look forward to leading the Committee and working closely with Chief Executive Darren Pearce as we pursue our masterplan for Thoroughbred Park”, Clarke said.

“I retired from the ACT Public Service in 2021 after an extensive management career where I headed the Government’s major venues portfolio, including Exhibition Park, GIO Stadium, and Manuka Oval; and the Government’s property portfolio.

“The Club’s relationship with Government will be extremely important as we move into our redevelopment phase and I think I am well placed to build on that relationship.”

“My focus since joining the Committee has been on Government relations, governance, business strategy, risk management, and stakeholder engagement, all critical to the Club’s success.

“I’m really delighted to be the first woman to hold this position. There are many women who play integral roles in the racing industry but I think at times we have been undervalued. We have much more to offer.”

Clarke takes over from Les Boag who will remain on the Committee and will serve as Vice Chair.

“I’m very pleased that Les will remain in an Executive position as Vice Chair. The Club is fortunate to have Les’ strong leadership and dedication to the racing industry. We have a Committee with a broad range of skills that will help us successfully manage our future.”

During Les Boag’s tenure as Chair, the Club made tremendous progress including the successful construction of an industry leading Polytrack, the introduction of the Owners and Trainers Lounge, signing of new and improved media and wagering sponsorship deals and a modernization of the Constitution to prepare for the development opportunities ahead.

Les Boag responded, “I am thrilled that Liz Clarke has accepted the role of Chair of our Club.  Liz has been a wonderful Vice-Chair and has successfully led our Precinct Development Sub-Committee.”

“We have been very fortunate to have such a stable, talented and hard-working Committee and to have achieved so many successful outcomes over the last year which have positioned us well for the future.”

“Our AGM also unanimously agreed to major updates to our constitution and we will be changing to align with other Race clubs and have a Board and Directors, once the constitutional changes are approved by the Register-General.”

The Committee of the Canberra Racing Club are:

Chair: Liz Clarke

Vice-Chair: Les Boag

Treasurer: Mathew Ryan

Committee: Bob Brinckley

Committee: Ben McAlister

Committee: Dan Gaul

Committee: Emmanuel Notaras

Committee: Greg Friedewald

Committee: Nikki Pulford

Committee: Norm Gardner

Pictured: Liz Clarke (far right) presents the Seears Workwear National Sprint trophy to connections of Another One on 11 March 2023