Senior Director – Racecourse Assets – INV-046 CM

As part of Qiddiya City’s development pipeline, Qiddiya Investment Company is advancing a major equestrian and racecourse offering expected to become a flagship sports and lifestyle asset within the destination. With the operating model, event strategy, and business plans being refined, the Executive Director – Equestrian Racecourse Asset Management will play a critical owner-side role in shaping the operating platform, protecting long-term value, and positioning the asset for successful mobilisation and sustained performance.

The Executive Director will work across Strategy, Development, Finance, Operational Readiness, Commercial, and third-party operators to optimise performance, govern operator delivery, and ensure QIC retains control over revenue strategy, programming, customer experience, partnerships, brand positioning, and long-term value creation across the equestrian racecourse asset.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Leadership:

• Lead the owner-side asset management strategy for the equestrian racecourse asset in alignment with QIC’s objectives, pre-opening priorities, and long-term value creation agenda.
• Define strategic objectives, commercial frameworks, and operating principles for race days, equestrian events, training, hospitality, ancillary activation, and non-event utilisation.
• Support operator selection, business plan challenge, and operating model development to ensure QIC retains decision-making authority over key commercial, customer, and brand levers.

2. Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal stakeholders, third-party operators, advisors, governing bodies, event promoters, and commercial partners.
• Act as the key owner-side point of contact on operational, commercial, and asset performance matters for the equestrian racecourse asset.
• Ensure strong collaboration across Development, Strategy, Finance, and Operational Readiness to integrate asset management requirements through design, mobilisation, and pre-opening.

3. Performance Monitoring:

• Oversee operator performance for the equestrian racecourse asset, ensuring delivery against contractual obligations, KPIs, SLAs, and QIC strategic objectives.
• Establish and monitor performance dashboards covering revenue, profitability, utilisation, attendance, race day delivery, customer experience, equine welfare, safety, compliance, and readiness milestones.
• Lead regular performance reviews, audits, and corrective action plans to drive continuous improvement and protect long-term value.

4. Financial Oversight:

• Review and challenge operator business plans, budgets, and forecasts to ensure commercial robustness and alignment with owner expectations.
• Drive achievement of financial targets, with a focus on sustainable revenue growth, EBITDA delivery, and efficient asset utilisation.
• Analyse operating data and financial results to identify upside opportunities, performance risks, and value enhancement initiatives.
• Support reporting and recommendations for executive stakeholders on asset performance, commercial outlook, and investment implications.

5. Customer Experience:

• Champion best-in-class customer experience across race days, equestrian events, hospitality, premium offerings, and venue journeys.
• Ensure customer experience requirements are embedded into operator mobilisation, design-stage input, and readiness planning.
• Monitor customer satisfaction and guest performance metrics, ensuring experiences are safe, distinctive, and brand-consistent.
• Support service standards across permanent operations and major equestrian event periods.

6. Commercial, Marketing and Partnerships:

• Work with internal and external stakeholders to optimise revenue, sponsorship, partnerships, branding, and ancillary monetisation across the equestrian racecourse asset.
• Shape event calendar strategy and utilisation plans to maximise visitation, yield, market positioning, and repeat demand.
• Monitor market trends, benchmark competing racecourses and equestrian venues, and identify strategic growth opportunities.

7. Team Leadership:

• Build and lead a high-performing owner-side equestrian asset management capability aligned with asset priorities and mobilisation requirements.
• Coordinate closely with operator teams while avoiding duplication of delivery roles and ensuring QIC capability and institutional knowledge are strengthened over time.
• Mentor team members and foster a high-performance, commercially focused asset management culture.
• Provide owner-side leadership on mobilisation, governance, and escalation of key risks and decisio

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, real estate, sport management, hospitality, equine management, or a related discipline.

Strong experience in equestrian, racecourse, venues, entertainment, leisure, or major event asset management and operations.

Experience in pre-opening, operator mobilisation, business planning, and owner-side governance of complex destination assets.

Relevant professional certifications or memberships in asset management, project management, finance, hospitality, sports management, or equestrian-related disciplines are preferred.

10+ years of relevant experience in asset management, venue operations, equestrian, sports, entertainment, leisure, or related sectors.

5+ years in a leadership role with accountability for commercial performance, operator oversight, or major asset delivery.

Experience in the GCC or wider MENA region preferred, with demonstrated ability to operate in complex, high-growth development environments