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Copeland Named Next Woodbine CEO

Michael Copeland was unanimously chosen to be the next Chief Executive Officer of Woodbine Entertainment by the company's board of directors. Copeland will take over from Jim Lawson–who announced he would be stepping down earlier this year–effective Oct. 1.

Copeland, who is currently President, Commercial, joined Woodbine Entertainment in 2021 after holding various leadership roles in sports and entertainment, including President and CEO of the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts from 2015 to 2018, and President of the CFL's head office from 2006 to 2015.

He has a law degree from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Western's Ivey School of Business. He is a recipient of the prestigious Caldwell Partners/Globe & Mail “Canada's Top 40 Under 40” Award and the Western Law W. Iain Scott Business Leadership Award.

“We are thrilled to have a business leader of Michael's caliber to take on this role and lead our organization during a transformative time that is full of opportunity for Woodbine and the horse racing industry,” said Hugh Mitchell, Chair of Woodbine Entertainment's Board of Directors.

Looking forward to his new role, Copeland said, “We are one of the best multi-faceted sports and entertainment companies in North America and we have tremendous potential to further develop and grow with horse racing at the center of it all. With this role comes great responsibility as it supports a way of life for tens of thousands of families in Ontario, as it did for my wife's family for decades. I am excited about the opportunity we have to lead Woodbine and racing in Ontario to ambitious, new heights.”

The board has appointed Lawson to the position of executive chair.

“I have worked with Michael for many years, and I am truly excited for the strategic thinking and bold vision he will bring as CEO,” said Lawson. “I am also looking forward to contributing to Woodbine and the racing industry and supporting Michael in my new role as Executive Chair. Woodbine has accomplished many great things over the past decade, but the best is yet to come.”

As part of the transition and to support Copeland in his new role, it was also announced that long-time horse racing industry executive Bill Ford will assume the role of Chief Racing Officer and General Counsel. Ford has been an executive at Woodbine Entertainment since 2011 and prior to that, he was General Counsel and Secretary for Magna Entertainment (a predecessor of The Stronach Group) from 2003 to 2010.

“Bill brings deep knowledge and a lifelong passion for the sport of racing. With his experienced, steady hand overseeing our racing operations, we are very well-positioned to further strengthen our racing product and the Ontario racing industry,” said Copeland.

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Letter to the Editor: Hugh Mitchell on Woodbine

Horse racing is an honourable sport that is steeped in tradition; built by generations of hardworking and passionate individuals and families. It's an industry that brings people together from all walks of life, and is critically dependent on everyone's contribution to its stability and success. While this diversity of roles and shared passion is racing's greatest strength, it exists within a very complex and challenging business environment that results in constant pressure to plan, adapt, and aggressively fight to secure our future.

At Woodbine Entertainment, we own and operate two racetracks: Woodbine Mohawk Park (Standardbred racing) and Woodbine Racetrack (Thoroughbred racing). If you are reading this with interest, it's important to understand that Woodbine operates as a not-for-profit minded organization. The late, great breeder and visionary, E.P. Taylor, donated a large piece of land in Toronto where Woodbine Racetrack is now situated. His vision was to provide this land, and this racetrack, to the hardworking horse people of Ontario so they would always have a place to race horses and earn a living doing so. Woodbine Entertainment, formerly the Ontario Jockey Club, carries the responsibility, mandate, and obligation to honour his vision. We do not have an owner nor shareholders. We have an independent and committed Board of Directors whose job is to ensure that this mandate is strictly followed. Our executive management team is accountable to this Board. Every decision we make is to create a strong and sustainable Ontario horse racing industry. That's why Woodbine exists, and for no other reason. Every dollar of profit we make is invested to support the entire Ontario horse racing industry. Our vision and ambition is to support all current industry stakeholders as best we can while also thoughtfully investing to grow the Ontario horse racing industry towards a strong, vibrant, and sustainable future. It's a very difficult balance requiring judgment and trade-offs. We recognize that not everyone will agree with the decisions we make to achieve this balance, however, we hope and expect that everyone will respect our motivation and purpose to support the present and future of racing in Ontario.

A decade ago, the provincial government in power at the time ended a lucrative funding agreement that was supporting horse racing. This decision almost killed the industry in Ontario. At the time, the only path forward was for Woodbine Entertainment to lead the industry-something that was asked of us by the government, and staying true to E.P. Taylor's vision, we agreed. We worked tirelessly to reach a new long-term funding agreement that is now in place. To this day, we continue to lead the industry at a substantial cost to our operations, and we do so proudly.

While this long-term funding agreement is essential to our industry's existence today, our vision is to develop the property that Woodbine Racetrack is situated on to create new revenue streams that will eventually allow us to not depend on government funding. This will support our mandate to create a strong and sustainable Ontario horse racing industry. Every cent of profit generated from this investment will be used to support the industry. In addition to fueling substantially larger purses, we will be able to invest even more heavily in our racing facilities, people and industry support programs.

We're also investing in other game-changing areas like sports betting and technology-things that will further develop new revenue streams that will be spent back on racing in Ontario. Until we get some of these major initiatives across the finish line, we need to continue to operate prudently and be patient to allow the long-term vision to come to life. At the same time, we understand the challenges that all of our industry stakeholders face today. It's difficult to make a reasonable living, and we must provide as much support as financially possible while building towards a brighter future. We must allocate the dollars we have available today across numerous stakeholders that often have different priorities, issues, and needs.

In the meantime, wagering is Woodbine's primary line of business that can immediately drive significant incremental revenue. This revenue supports the above-mentioned purses and capital improvements. Therefore, healthy field sizes and competitive racing is necessary to provide a product that will drive wagering.

Despite the challenges our industry faces today, we are extremely confident in our future. We are a world-class racing industry with tremendous opportunity in front of us. We are blessed with an incredibly hardworking and talented group of horse people and employees. If we take care of our people today, and provide for a better future for them tomorrow, we will have successfully achieved the future E.P. Taylor envisioned decades ago.

Sincerely,

Hugh Mitchell

Chair, Board of Directors

Woodbine Entertainment

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Lawson to Step Down at Woodbine

Jim Lawson will step down from his role as chief executive officer at Woodbine Entertainment this fall, the company announced Tuesday. Lawson has held the position since 2015.

“Being CEO of Woodbine Entertainment has been a great honor and passion for me,” Lawson said. “On a personal level, I have truly enjoyed my time leading the organization and I am so grateful for the incredible people that I have had the honor of working with, but it's now time to spend more time with my family.

“On a professional level, during my time with Woodbine, we have become a multi-dimensional organization, having expanded our scope and reputation as a world leader in dual-breed horse racing, while working meticulously and respectfully to drive new revenues that will continue to support the Ontario horse racing industry for decades to come. I have every confidence that Woodbine Entertainment is on a path to a very strong and sustainable future.”

Hugh Mitchell, Chair of Woodbine Entertainment's Board of Directors, praised Lawson for his stewardship.

“On behalf of our Board of Directors, I would like to thank Jim for his strong, unwavering and impactful leadership to both Woodbine Entertainment and the Ontario horse racing industry over the last 15 years,” said Mitchell. “Jim's passion for the horse racing industry and admiration for the hardworking people has been a hallmark of his tenure as CEO. Jim has made lasting contributions that will undoubtedly benefit the organization and industry for decades. We also look forward to identifying ways for the Board of Directors and the next CEO to continue benefiting from his experience and passion in the future.

“As for Woodbine's next leader, the Board's Succession Committee is working diligently and is confident that we will be successful in finding the next CEO who will continue to build on our positive momentum.”

It is expected that Lawson will be associated with Woodbine in a senior role that will be defined at a later date.

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