CEO Sheather declares his race is run after almost three decades with the GCTC
GRANT Sheather has resigned as the chief executive of the Gold Coast Turf Club.
His decision ends an almost three-decade association with the club which started with picking up glasses in the bar.
Sheather started with the GCTC as a bar attendant on Melbourne Cup Day, 1986 and held various roles before becoming the club’s chief executive for the first time in May, 2006.
He held that role until 2008 and then spent 18 months working on Hamilton Island before he resumed as the club’s chief executive in December, 2009.
The 47-year-old Sheather said it was time to move on after more than five years at the helm.
“I have been here for a fairly lengthy time and I think it is healthy to have a new set of eyes around the place,” he said.
“In my five years as CEO we have achieved a lot and the club, particularly under Brett Cook’s leadership, has come on in leaps and bounds.
“We have a $12 million event centre, we have acquired the former Train-Tech facility and are looking at options for that and the $15.4 million of phase 1 of the Gold Coast redevelopment has been completed and the Gold Coast Show has been secured for the precinct.
“There are still some challenges for the next CEO to get their teeth into and we seek confirmation of the remainder of the other $20 million committed by both sides of Government (for phase 2 of the Gold Coast redevelopment).
“But we have some really good staff underneath us at the moment which has made my job a lot easier and it shouldn’t take the new CEO long to settle in.”
GCTC chairman Brett Cook yesterday thanked Sheather for his long service.
“Grant has successfully steered the club through some turbulent times and a lot of credit for its current stability and success is attributable to his efforts,” Cook said.
“The club will be going to the market to find the best replacement to continue driving expansion of the club and the advancement of racing on the Gold Coast”.
Sheather will remain in his job until the club’s annual general meeting in October or until a replacement is found.
He rated corporate governance reform in the form of stability at board level as his proudest achievement as chief executive. Under his watch, the constitution was changed so that three board members would be up for re-election every year instead of the entire board every two years.
He was also proud of the GCTC’s ability to run a race club with several major redevelopments going on in the background.