Catchpole (35) is moving to a new role in Melbourne and her job at the racing club will be advertised as a general manger’s position.Catchpole said she had enjoyed her three years based at Wingatui and was moving to become general manager of the Royal Brighton Yacht Club in Melbourne.
It was a tough decision to leave, she said, but she felt she had got the club in a good position to take the next step. Catchpole said it could now focus on racing and the function parts of the business, and make the most of the facilities operated by the club.
She would miss Dunedin and the city was a great place to work. The team at the club had made her stay enjoyable and were a pleasure to work with.
The success of the Cromwell race meetings had been a highlight of her time in the role, and upgrading the facilities had made Wingatui a very attractive option for racing, weddings and other functions. Catchpole will finish at the end of next month.
She will be returning to a familiar place, as she went to high school and university in Melbourne and had also worked for the Melbourne Rebels rugby franchise.
Otago Racing Club president Stephen Grant said the club was sad to see Catchpole go but understood her decision to move on. He said Catchpole had done a very good job in the three years she had been in the role.
The club opted for a general manager’s role rather than that of a chief executive. Given the size of the club and the size of the operation it was more suited for a general manager. Grant was confident there were good people out there for the role and he would appoint someone as soon as possible.
The club was coming into a busy period with the Melbourne Cup meeting and the Christmas meeting in Cromwell so it wanted to get someone in place, he said.
