Meanwhile, Will Wyatt will take over from Bazalgette as chairman of Racing UK on an interim basis. Wyatt, a former MD of BBC Television and keen racing enthusiast, has been the senior independent non-executive director of Racing UK since its launch in 2004.
Will Wyatt said: “Richard’s experience encompasses the full range of sports rights exploitation, TV and new media operations, and sports sponsorship. He has proven leadership skills and understands the importance of managing the full range of stakeholder interests.”
FitzGerald was CEO of Aston Villa FC until February 2008 and has in recent months been working as a consultant to the owners of Manchester City FC. Prior to Aston Villa, FitzGerald worked for 18 years in various senior roles at IMG. They included chief operating officer and head of New Media of TWI, the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports TV programmes.
He also sat on a number of joint venture boards including European Tour Productions, Manchester United interactive and Sports News TV.
