Good Gravy! Richard Fitzgerald Announces His Resignation As CEO Of RMG

Article by : Eva Reed Aug 17, 2020

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Updated: Apr 4, 2022

More recently, it became known that the executive director of Racecourse Media Group Richard Fitzgerald decided to leave his post within the next 2 months. According to the official information, none other than the current CFO Martin Stevenson is going to take his place.

It’s worth noting that the CEO joined the RMG back in September 2008.

Many note that Richard Fitzgerald’s strategies and management style have correctly influenced the development of the brand, which has the broadcasting rights of the central racetracks in the UK and Ireland.

Throughout Richard Fitzgerald’s tenure as the head, such a big project as Racing UK witnessed a relaunch on his initiative. A little later, it appeared as a separate channel called Racing TV. Richard Fitzgerald also took an active part in signing an exclusive agreement on the transfer of rights to internal broadcasting from ITV. Besides, he made every effort to initiate Racing TV International for global operators.

After signing an agreement with ITV, the company witnessed an incredible increase in views. This also allowed the media organization to become the central company that broadcast the British races. At the time, the brand organized more than a hundred days of live streaming free of charge.

The CEO states he is proud to work with an incredibly dedicated staff that managed to deliver outstanding results over the past decade. Here are some of his top achievements:

• The eminent debut of Watch & Bet broadcasting.
• Signing a contract for bars with the Sky Business service.
• An overwhelmingly efficient start of the Racing UK HD broadcast.

According to the Chairman of RMG Roger Lewis, Richard Fitzgerald showed exceptional managerial qualities, which allowed the company to perform incredible results over the past 12 years. What’s more, Fitzgerald has gone to great lengths to cover the racetrack’s most popular events fully. The company managed to record a stunning profit of £800 million in royalties.

One way or another, the current CEO has taken all the necessary steps to ensure that his departure does not affect the brand’s activities and performance. This is why Fitzgerald has done everything required to extend the contract between the brand and the ITV. The deal is going to extend the agreement until 2023.

Equally important is that the media company successfully launched its new Watch & Bet broadcast project in June. This contributed to the fact that the holding will be able to cope with the coronavirus consequences faster and provide decent coverage of events at the racetracks.

The CEO has taken all the steps needed to retire with minimal impact on the brand. According to the senior executive officer, he leaves the post with a calm heart because he knows that the reopening of racetracks is the best moment to inform about his retirement.

Before joining one of the most famous media holdings in the UK, Fitzgerald also served as CEO of the Aston Villa football club from 2006 to 2008. After the current senior leader steps down, Martin Stevenson, who previously worked for Trinity Mirror Sports Division and Newspaper Licensing Agency, will take over.

Currently, the brand is one of the most popular and successful holding companies involved in the broadcasting rights management of such famous racetracks as Aintree, Ascot, Ayr, Bangor, Beverley, Carlisle, etc.

The total coverage of the company is 37 racetracks. Moreover, RMG also has stakes in Racing UK, GBI Racing, and Racecourse Data Company. Thanks to balanced management approaches, RMG is head and shoulders above all its competitors.