Woodbine Entertainment has made some changes to its senior leadership team, promoting Michael Copeland to President, Commercial and Tom Via to President, Operations. Both will report to CEO Jim Lawson.
“We have a tremendous amount of opportunity before us to grow our business and the horse racing industry in Ontario,” said Lawson. “I strongly believe we have the right leadership and people in place–and now we have the right structure that will enable us to maximize and fully leverage those opportunities.”
Copeland, who joined Woodbine Entertainment in 2021 as Chief Commercial Officer, will lead revenue and brand-driving functions including horse racing, wagering, technology, marketing, broadcast, customer experience, and events. He has previously run his own consulting business in the sports and entertainment sector and has been president and CEO of the Toronto Argonauts, as well as the president and COO of the Canadian Football League.
Via joined Woodbine Entertainment in 2016 as COO and will now lead operations at both Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park, while also overseeing hospitality, finance, human resources, legal, and project management. He has previously served as president and CEO of the retail chain Brookstone, been president of the Australian operations of Toys R Us, and held senior management positions at Babies R Us in both the U.S. and Canada.
Property Development at Woodbine Entertainment will continue to be led by Chief Development Officer Will Fleissig.
“While horse racing will always be at the core of everything we do, our business is becoming more and more complex and having strong leadership at the helm of operations and revenue positions us for the future growth we have in our sights,” said Lawson.
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