Angela joined the Board as an Independent Director in July 2021.
With a strong background in animal welfare, the former MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge served as Shadow Environment Minister and as a Senior Member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee.
Throughout her parliamentary career, which spanned from 2005 to 2019, Angela was heavily involved in animal welfare issues – whether this was holding Ministers and public bodies to account as part of the EFRA Select Committee or through her membership of various All Party Parliamentary Groups, including those on Animal Welfare, Conservation and Wildlife and Game and Wildlife Conservation. As Shadow Environment Minister, Angela helped to develop the Labour Party’s policy around animal welfare and farming and built strong relationships with the major animal welfare charities. She was made an honorary life member of the British Veterinary Association in 2015.
Simon has been a practicing veterinary surgeon for the past 28 years, initially in mixed practice and more recently working exclusively within greyhound racing, with a special interest in the treatment and rehabilitation of race dogs.
A long-standing member of the GBGB Board, Simon was appointed Veterinary Director in 2010 and is Chair of the Veterinary Scientific Committee and the Doping and Medication Review Panel. He works closely with veterinary and academic partners around the world to ensure our sport remains at the forefront of research into greyhound care and welfare.
At home, Simon has a retired greyhound and continues to be deeply invested in promoting the homing of ex-racers.
Rachel is a qualified solicitor who spent twenty years running Nottingham Greyhound Stadium before joining Arena Racing Company as their Director for Greyhound Operations. From training as a kennelhand in her youth, to spending several decades in stadium management, she appreciates all aspects of the industry and the expertise contained within it.
Rachel is a keen supporter of research and education on greyhound welfare and has been closely involved with the GBGB Apprenticeship Scheme and the development of the Greyhound Retirement Scheme. An owner of a former racer herself, she works with several greyhound rehoming centres to promote what great pets retired greyhounds make.
A GBGB Board Director since its inception, Rachel is currently Chair of the GBGB Racing Committee and sits on the Business Committees. As a Director of the British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF), Rachel sits on the BGRF Chairman’s Committee and the Audit & Finance Committee.
Peter joined the Board as an Independent Director in 2015. He is a highly-experienced veterinary surgeon with a specialism in greyhounds, having worked across many licensed greyhound tracks.
He is also an equine specialist and has spent much of his career working with racehorses. He was previously Chief Executive of the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (now the British Horseracing Authority) in 2006 before joining the Animal Health Trust as Chief Executive in 2007. He also held the role of Director of Veterinary Science and Welfare at the Jockey Club where he played a leading role in developing with DEFRA the conditions for which racing could continue amidst the Foot and Mouth epidemic.
He was previously a lecturer in Radiology and senior lecturer in Equine Medicine at the Royal Veterinary College.
Peter has been involved in greyhound racing from a young age, beginning his career at the old Long Eaton Greyhound Stadium in Derbyshire. He held various roles at the track from parader and hare driver to photo finish operator and handicapper.
He gained experience as a greyhound trainer on the UK independent circuit before becoming a National Greyhound Racing Club trainer at Nottingham Stadium in 1997. He was appointed Trainers’ Practitioner on the Board in 2017 to represent the interests of licensed greyhound trainers across the country.
Away from greyhound racing, Peter is a keen horse-rider and was crowned Mounted Games World Champion in 1995.
Jeff has worked at Pelaw Grange Greyhound Stadium in Durham since the age of 18, choosing his love of greyhound racing over a career in accountancy.
Established by his parents in 1965, the stadium has remained a family-run business. Jeff and his wife Theresa took over the reins officially in 1990 and he remains involved in all aspects of the daily running of the stadium both as a promoter and through assisting in the racing office.
Jeff joined the Board in November 2018.
Ian has worked for the Entain Group for the past 25 years and has been Director of Stadia since 2018 overseeing the Group’s four greyhound tracks - Crayford, Hove, Monmore Green and Romford. He was appointed as a Director of the Race Course Promoters Association in 2019.
A life-long racing enthusiast, Ian's earliest and fondest memories of the sport include watching from the terraces at the former Kingsmead Stadium in Canterbury and seeing Some Picture win the Select Stakes at Wembley in 1996. Ian was instrumental in the renovation and modernisation of Romford Stadium which reopened to the public in 2019 and included a total modernisation of its facilities.
Ian joined the Board in 2021 and sits on the Open Race Planning, Rules and Business Committees.
Born into a racing family in Ireland in the 1930s, John lived a mile from the old Cork racetrack. Surrounded by greyhounds from a young age, his ambition had always been to work within the sport.
After spending time in the army, John moved to England and initially worked as a kennelhand before working his way up to trainer. His long and successful career has since seen him named Trainer of the Year twice.
John joined the GBGB Board in 2018 to represent greyhound owners' interests across the industry.
Bill inherited the greyhound racing ‘gene’ from his father and became a fan at an early age. He maintained this link throughout his life – even during a successful stint as a rock guitarist – but formalised it in the 1980s when he joined the old Rye House track as a steward.
He has since spent decades in stadium management across a range of GBGB tracks, including latterly at Poole and Swindon in his role as a Director of Gaming International.
Bill has been a member of the GBGB Board since it was founded over a decade ago. Serving as Chair of the Track Sub Committee, he has always had a keen interest in track safety and maintenance. Most recently, he integrated STRI into the Committee to ensure greyhounds are racing on the best surfaces possible across the sport.
Mark was appointed GBGB Commercial Director in 2020 when he also joined the Board as an Executive Advisor.
Mark has over 20 years' experience of working in the sports sector where he has held a number of high-profile commercial roles at organisations including Sunderland Association Football Club, Sports First, England Hockey, Oldham Athletic Football Club and Wembley Stadium.
As Commercial Director, Mark works closely with GBGB stadia and stakeholders to raise the profile of greyhound racing, widen its appeal to new audiences and explore new commercial opportunities.
Peter is a highly-regarded solicitor with several decades’ experience within the field of regulatory and disciplinary law, with a particular specialism in sports law and governance. He is a partner of Russell-Cooke LLP.
Peter’s understanding and experience of the regulatory processes within greyhound racing is unparalleled. Prior to his appointment as Independent Director to the GBGB Board in 2018, he was Chair of the GBGB’s Appeal Board, a post he held with the NGRC since 2006. Before taking his role on the Board he was also a member of the GBGB Impartiality Committee.
Peter holds a number of positions in sports regulation, including chairing Premier League Commissions and is an honorary legal advisor to the British Fencing Association. He has previously worked as a pro-bono advisor to the London Olympics and the Rugby World Cup for Ireland Rugby Union. He has also been Chair to various commissions held by Football Association Premier League.
Jeremy joined the GBGB Board as Chairman in 2018, bringing with him over 30 years’ experience of working in the private, not-for-profit and charity sectors.
A dedicated animal welfarist with a particular interest in canine welfare, Jeremy’s previous roles include Chief Executive of the RSPCA and a Director at Dogs Trust. Whilst at the RSPCA, Jeremy brokered key strategic relationships across the charity sector.
Prior to this, he also spent a number of years as Chief Executive of Freedom Food, the RSPCA’s ethical food label dedicated to farm animal welfare. There, he successfully rebranded the organisation as RSPCA Assured and devised and implemented a five-year strategic plan which turned it into a profit-making business for the first time.
In 2017, he set up JPC Consulting, where he continues to use his expertise to help individuals develop their business capability.
Mark joined GBGB in 2015 as Director of Regulation and became Managing Director in late 2017.
A career-police officer, Mark spent 30 years serving in the Metropolitan Police Force. His main commands were in firearms and public order, including for the Notting Hill Carnival and the 2012 Olympics.
As GBGB’s Managing Director, Mark’s philosophy has been one of openness and transparency in tackling the major issues of the sport, such as welfare, funding and promoting greyhound racing as a popular British pastime. He has been keen to strengthen the dialogue between partner organisations, government and other key stakeholders, spearheading a broad range of initiatives through the Greyhound Commitment to safeguard welfare and integrity across the sport.
A staunch advocate of greyhound rehoming initiatives, Mark has a retired racer of his own at home.
