British Eventing (BE) has appointed Mark Sartori as its new Independent Chair of the Board, succeeding Interim Chair Jane Holderness-Roddam.
Mark has a deep-seated understanding of the sport having competed up to Advanced level himself as well as being a Trustee for the British Eventing Support Trust. As an owner, Mark has a number of five-star riders based at his farm in Surrey and also co-owns the current British Open Champion, Monkeying Around, with Izzy Taylor.
He brings a wealth of experience to the role following a successful career in investment banking and capital markets. A current Trustee for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity where he Chairs the Investment Committee, Mark also coaches senior executives in multiple industries, advises boards on governance and regulation and also has a number of investments across a portfolio of sectors.
“I am delighted to be the new Chair of British Eventing and would like to thank Jane Holderness-Roddam for her work as interim Chair,” Mark said. “With us currently being Olympic, World and European champions the sport has much to celebrate. However, there are some very significant challenges facing the sport and I will be working hard with all the stakeholders to move our sport forward.
“We need to improve our product, make it more affordable and grow our membership whilst offering more opportunities for people to try eventing. We need strong leadership from the board and the executive team as we face some real challenges in the short and the long term.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the board, Helen West and her team, the riders, owners, organisers, volunteers and everyone who is a part of our wonderful sport. We need to agree the way forward and work together to ensure that British Eventing retains its place as a world leader. We have big plans for the sport and the next few years will be very exciting for everyone involved.”
Helen West, Chief Executive for BE said the body was “extremely lucky” to have Mark on board.
“I am excited about the future of the sport with him at our helm,” she said. “The new season is ahead of us, entries have just opened and by the rate of take-up we are seeing in membership over the past few weeks it is clearly evident that we have a thriving community wishing to compete with us.
“The future is definitely bright for British Eventing with prestigious championships for all level of competitor and I am looking forward to us rebuilding the sport into the progressive and modern one that we all know it can and will be.”
