The Hong Kong Jockey Club has announced the appointment of a new executive director of information technology, Gary Delooze, effective on January 15th.
Delooze is set to be a member of the Board of Management of the HKJC and report directly to its CEO, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.
Part of Delooze’s role will be to ‘further enhance the Club’s leading position and best practices in Racing, Wagering, Membership and other functions’ and ‘play a key role in many of the Club’s strategic programs’, according to a company release.
Delooze comes from a strong background in information technology (IT), having previously worked as the Chief Information Officer of The Co-operative Bank in the UK, as well as CIO and Chief Technology Officer of the Nationwide Building Society financial services firm in the UK.
He has also held roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers, IBM and Ernst & Young.
In a post to social media, Delooze noted that he is “delighted” to join HKJC’s Board of Management, noting that “technology plays a big role in the operation of the Club and the experience of its members and customers”.
The HKJC has seen a strong return in business after COVID restrictions were lifted, especially after being granted more ‘simulcast race’ days.
The group is also pushing the government to not increase levies on racing and other betting activities, citing Macau as an example.
During the fiscal year ended June 30th, the HKJC saw record turnover of $38.87 billion, with horse racing contributing $13.31 billion and football betting turnover totaling $20 billion.
