Di Farrell-Thomas

Di is part of the team at the British Horseracing Authority as the Diversity and Inclusion Project Manager.

She has also been a committee member of Racing With Pride (British Racing’s official LGBTQ+ network) since its inception in 2020, and was part of the Diversity in Racing Steering Group until taking on a formal role for D&I at the BHA in 2022.

Di has been part of teams at other racing related organisations such as Juddmonte Farms Ltd, the Jockey Club working in both the sponsorship and marketing teams at Newmarket Racecourses, as well as at the British Racing School for five years as the Industry Courses Manager.

More broadly, Di’s career has involved working for sports’ national governing bodies – Badminton England and England Hockey in Development Manager roles as well as for Local Authority in this regard.

Riding horses and ponies into her teens, Di moved on to riding out in yards in Newmarket, gaining her Amateur flat licence and for her Honours Degree in Sport, she completed a dissertation study on the experiences of female jockeys in Britain.

In 2023 she gained the TASS Practitioner qualification to support Athlete Performance Development and Lifestyle; which has involved mentoring world class programme athletes – balancing study, sport and anything else that life presents.