Woodbine Entertainment announced today that it has restructured its senior leadership team as the organization sets its sights on future growth.
As part of the reorganization, the organization promoted Michael Copeland to President, Commercial and Tom Via to President, Operations, both reporting to CEO Jim Lawson.
“We have a lot of opportunities ahead of us to grow the horse racing industry and business in Ontario,” said Lawson. “I truly believe we have the right leadership and people – and now we have the right structure that will allow us to maximize and make the most of those opportunities.”
As President, Commercial Division, Copeland will lead in revenue and brand promotion functions including horse racing, betting, technology, marketing, broadcasting, customer experience and other functions. event.
Michael Copeland, president of commerce at Woobine
Copeland joins Woodbine Entertainment in 2021 as Chief Commercial Officer, after holding several leadership positions in the Canadian sports industry, most recently including founding and leading his own consulting business. focuses on growth and transformation issues in sport and entertainment. Prior to that, Copeland was the President and CEO of the Toronto Argonauts (2015 to 2018), who under his leadership won the Gray Cup in 2017. Before joining Argos, Copeland was President and CEO. Executive Director of Football Canada. Federation for almost 10 years (2006 to 2015).
As Executive Chairman, Via will lead operations at both Woodbine Racecourse and Woodbine Mohawk Park, and oversee hospitality, finance, human resources, legal and project management services.
Via initially joined Woodbine Entertainment in 2016 as CEO after a number of successful senior leadership positions in retail operations. Prior to joining Woodbine, Via was the President and CEO of the US retail chain Brookstone. He has also held many senior leadership positions at Toys R Us, including President of Australia operations, General Manager of SVP Babies R Us, USA, and Director of Marketing and Sales, Canada.
Property Development will continue to be led by Chief Development Officer Will Fleissig, reporting to Lawson.
“While horse racing will always be at the core of everything we do, our business is becoming more and more complex, and having strong leadership in driving operations and revenue will help us grow in the future,” added Lawson.
A non-equity Ontario corporation, Woodbine Entertainment operates a multi-dimensional entertainment business with the core mission of sustaining and growing the horse racing industry in Ontario.
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