Liz Truss was announced on Monday as Boris Johnson's successor as leader of the Conservative Party and thus British prime minister, and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) made a significant announcement of its own with the appointment of Greg Swift as director of communications and corporate affairs.
Swift will join the BHA directly from his role as head of news and press secretary to the Foreign Secretary, the position in the British government which was until Monday held by Truss.
Described as “a keen horseracing fan”, Swift has held a number of other positions connected to the government and was previously head of communications for the Department of Exiting the European Union as well as being the prime minister's deputy spokesperson and head of news. During a career in newspapers, Swift was assistant editor at the Daily Express.
“British horseracing is one of the brightest jewels in the UK's sporting crown, providing unrivalled entertainment and some of the most memorable moments in sport,” Swift said. “I am delighted to be joining the great team at the BHA to deliver on the ambitions shared by all those who are involved in the industry.”
Welcoming Swift's imminent arrival at the end of October, the BHA's chief executive Julie Harrington, said, “We are delighted to be able to attract someone of Greg's calibre to this role.
“Among Greg's responsibilities will be leading the sport's liaison with and lobbying of government and senior figures in the national media. The depth of his government contacts and political and media communications experience will be a great asset to the BHA and the sport.”
Robin Mounsey is currently acting as interim director of the BHA's communications and corporate affairs department and from the end of October will become head of communications.
Harrington continued, “The restructure of the communications and corporate affairs department has the objective of enhancing the BHA's capacity in these areas, to allow us to be more proactive and build on the work of the experienced team that is already in place.”
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