Welcoming Our First Male Mentors
We are incredibly proud of the strength, diversity, and generosity of our mentoring community. While the Women in Racing Mentoring Programme is dedicated to supporting women across the racing industry, meaningful progress is achieved when everyone plays a role. That is why we are delighted to welcome a number of male mentors to the programme, whose experience, insight, and commitment will help us continue to support women at every stage of their careers.
We are thrilled to introduce our first male mentors: Brant Dunshea, David Letts, John Blake, Richard Wayman and Rishi Persad. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to each of them for supporting the programme and helping us create even more opportunities for women across the industry.
Brant Dunshea 
Brant Dunshea was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in March 2026, having served as Acting Chief Executive Officer since January 2025. Prior to this, he held several senior regulatory roles within the BHA and has built an impressive career in both British and Australian racing administration.
As CEO, Brant leads the BHA, overseeing its strategic direction, governance, stakeholder engagement and operational delivery. He also represents British racing internationally through a number of senior positions, including within the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF), and the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC).
Brant is passionate about personal and professional development and has benefited from mentoring throughout his career, both as a mentee and mentor.
Brant Dunshea: On Mentoring
What Mentoring Means to Me
My first memory of mentoring was informal but changed the course of my life. The horse trainer who I learned much from as a young person during my teenage years, supported me through a period where I took the decision to move from working hands on with the horses, to getting involved in the administrative side of the sport. That was how my professional career started, and over the years I’ve worked with various different formal and informal mentors.
Why I Got Involved
Mentoring has helped me make important decisions throughout my career. It has helped me build tools and skills to goal set and break down big problems into small ones in order to achieve longer term objectives. It’s helped me grow and learn, and reflect on my own successes and mistakes in a constructive way. I enjoy sharing my experiences with others to help them grow both professionally and personally.
A Fun Fact
After winning my qualifying round, I made the final of my age category in the 800m Track event at the 2009 World Masters Games. I really enjoy running and still do so every other day.
David Letts
Known for his clarity, empathy and collaborative style, David supports mentees to build confidence, navigate career challenges and identify meaningful next steps. He currently serves as Shared Ownership Lead at the Racehorse Owners Association, where he oversees a range of strategic initiatives and stakeholder engagement activities.
Alongside his professional role, David is deeply involved in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within racing. He chairs Racing With Pride and is a member of the sport’s Diversity Advisory Group. His academic achievements include a PhD exploring organisational culture and masculinities within British horseracing, as well as an MBA focused on the experiences of sexual minorities in racing.
David Letts: On Mentoring
What Mentoring Means to Me
I set up a reciprocal mentoring scheme in a previous role and saw the direct benefits of building relationships in this way across the organisation. Not only did it foster positive career conversations, but it also increased feelings of inclusion and greater sense of openness amongst colleagues.
I have previously mentored individuals and have taken great satisfaction in seeing their development, whether personal- or career-focused.
Why I Got Involved
I have personally seen the value that mentoring can provide to both mentee and mentor. I enjoy taking the time to build a rapport with any mentee to understand their motivations and aspirations, and collectively build a plan to help them reach their aims.
Women in Racing’s Mentoring Programme has added huge value to the racing industry over many years and it is a pleasure to be involved in this progression of the scheme to include male mentors for the first time.
John Blake
John Blake is Chief Executive of Racing to School, the education and community engagement charity that works across the horseracing industry. His career has spanned broadcasting, journalism, sports governance and the charitable sector, giving him a unique perspective on leadership and career development.
John has also held a variety of voluntary and trustee positions, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to supporting others both within and beyond racing.
John Blake: On Mentoring
What Mentoring Means to Me
I see Mentoring as a two-way process – of mutual value and learning. Such support is not about solving someone’s challenges but creating ideas and maybe re-framing through listening and asking questions. A Mentor’s contribution needs not to be limited to talking to someone but at times talking about them to help with visibility and progression.
I’ve been fortunate to have been asked to support a range of people during my career, often for specific things and at key times in their lives connected with their careers.
Why I Got Involved
I’ve always enjoyed a range of voluntary roles – as Trustee of a charity supporting those with Gambling-related harm; a Metropolitan Police Custody Suite Visitor that supported the rights of detainees, and my own career roles have provided insight and helped shape and improve my approach to mentoring, which I am keen to develop further.
A Fun Fact
As early jobs go, my time during student holidays as a gravedigger forms an indelible memory. Not a glamorous role for sure! But on my last day – of two summer stints – I was told by my boss that ‘one day you could be running this place’. A man can receive no greater compliment than that, as the intervening years have proved!
Richard Wayman
Richard Wayman rejoined the BHA in 2016 and currently serves as Director of Racing. In this role, he oversees the Racing Department, Participant Services team and the Handicappers, while also representing racing on the Levy Board and the industry’s Commercial Committee.
A lifelong racing enthusiast, Richard’s career has included roles with William Hill, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the British Racing School, the Racehorse Owners Association and the British Horseracing Board. He remains actively involved in racehorse ownership and brings extensive leadership and industry experience to the mentoring programme.
Rishi Persad
Rishi Persad is one of the UK’s most recognised and respected sports broadcasters. Since beginning his racing broadcasting career with Attheraces in 2002, he has gone on to work with Channel 4 Racing, the BBC, ITV Racing and Racing TV.
Beyond horseracing, Rishi has covered a wide range of sports including golf, tennis, cricket, eventing, snooker and bowls. He has also been part of the BBC’s coverage of the last six Olympic Games, highlighting his versatility and breadth of experience across the sporting world.
The Value of Diverse Perspectives
Our male mentors bring a wealth of experience from across the racing industry and beyond, offering valuable insight, guidance and support to mentees. Their willingness to share knowledge, champion development and invest their time reflects a collective commitment to supporting the progression of women in racing.
Mentoring is built on perspective, encouragement and opportunity. By bringing together mentors from different backgrounds and experiences, we can provide our mentees with access to a broader range of viewpoints, advice and professional networks.
We are extremely grateful to our male mentors for their support and contribution to the programme. Their involvement plays an important role in helping us build a more inclusive, supportive and progressive racing industry.
If you are considering the next step in your career, why not explore our mentor profiles on the mentoring page? We would love to help you find the right mentor to support your professional journey.