NEWS
Pride leaves Darley for Fasig-Tipton
Posted: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 5:02 PM
DAN PRIDE
Photo courtesy of Darley
by Pete Denk
Dan Pride, chief operating officer of Darley USA, will leave that post to become executive vice president and chief operating officer of Fasig-Tipton Co.
Fasig-Tipton officials announced a restructuring of the company’s senior management team on Tuesday. Pride will take over the position currently held by Boyd Browning Jr., who will become the corporation’s president and chief executive officer and assume responsibility for day-to-day operations.
The moves came 4 1/2 months after Synergy Investments Ltd., a Dubai-based company headed by Abdulla Al Habbai, purchased Fasig-Tipton. Habbai is a close associate of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and owner of Godolphin Racing and the global Darley breeding operation.
D.G. Van Clief Jr., Fasig-Tipton’s chairman of the board under the previous ownership, will become chairman emeritus, continuing in a non-executive role as senior adviser.
Current President Walt Robertson will become chairman and continues in his full-time role with an emphasis on client development, auctioneering, and strategic decision making.
Van Clief said the appointments are “the culmination of a process which has been underway within the company for some time now and accurately reflect the jobs being accomplished by our key managers."
“The addition of Dan Pride adds strength to the lineup as Fasig-Tipton prepares to ramp up operations under its new ownership,” Van Clief said. “Walt and Boyd should be congratulated for their effective leadership over the years and the new titles appropriately reflect the senior status they have earned as well as the jobs they do.”
“We look forward to taking Fasig-Tipton to the next level in terms of customer experience, market presence, and as a positive force for enhancing our industry,” Browning said. “This means we will be taking a fresh look at all of our operations with an eye toward innovation and improvement.”
“We are excited to commence a new chapter in Fasig-Tipton’s history and believe the best is yet to come," Robertson said. "Our focus will continue to be on our customers, both buyers and sellers, and that focus can become even sharper with greater resources at our disposal.”
Fasig-Tipton is North America’s oldest Thoroughbred auction company. It currently conducts auctions in Saratoga Springs, New York; Timonium, Maryland; Miami, Florida; Grand Prairie, Texas; and at its home base at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington.
Pete Denk is sales editor of Thoroughbred Times
