Lord Charles Allen

Lord Charles Allen has resigned as chair of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) after just six months in the role, having been unable to achieve the governance change that he proposed when taking up his post on September 1. Lord Allen was first nominated as chair in November 2024, but the start of his tenure was delayed as the BHA said that he wished to "continue meeting stakeholders to better inform his vision for the sport". Three months later than was originally planned, Lord Allen stepped into his position at...

Lord Charles Allen, who was announced as the new chair of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in November, will not start in his new role on June 2 as originally planned. A statement from the BHA on Friday confirmed that Lord Allen will delay taking over at the helm as he wished to continue to meet all stakeholders to "better inform his vision". The statement read, "Since Lord Allen was named as the new chair of the BHA last November he has engaged in an extensive round of meetings with...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Thursday that its chair, Joe Saumarez Smith, has made the decision to step down from his role with immediate effect, having been advised by his oncologist that he has leptomeningeal metastases. Senior independent director David Jones, who has previously deputised for Saumarez Smith, has assumed the role as interim chair of the BHA ahead of the formal handover to incoming chair Lord Charles Allen on June 1. Saumarez Smith, who became chair of the BHA in June 2022, having previously been on the...