Woodbine adds two to board

TORONTO, September 20, 2024 – Woodbine Entertainment is pleased to announce the appointment of two prominent industry leaders, Mark Krembil and Tom Mungham, to its Board of Directors.

Krembil, a principal of Chiefswood Stables, and Mungham, former CEO and Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), bring a wealth of experience in horse racing and regulatory affairs, further strengthening the Board’s capacity to guide Woodbine Entertainment’s ambitious efforts to grow and sustain Ontario’s horse racing industry for future generations.

“We are excited to welcome Mark and Tom to our Board of Directors,” said Jim Lawson, Executive Chair of Woodbine Entertainment. “Their extensive leadership, knowledge, and industry experience will be invaluable as we work to further our vision of growing the horse racing industry that supports upwards of 25,000 jobs throughout Ontario.”

Mark Krembil, a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist with a background in systems engineering and business, is a principal of Chiefswood Stables, Canada’s largest owner-breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. Chiefswood, founded by his father Robert Krembil, was named Canada’s Outstanding Owner in 2017 and 2018, with notable wins including the 2004 Queen’s Plate (Niigon), 2013 Woodbine Oaks (Nipissing), 2018 Breeders’ Stakes (Neepawa), and most recently the 2024 Woodbine Oaks (Kin’s Concerto).

Krembil is also active in the biotechnology sector through Chiefswood Private Capital, which he founded. He serves on the boards of Allarta Life Sciences, Arthur Health, and Myant Corp., driving healthcare innovation. He is on the Brain Canada Board and chairs its Governance Committee.

As President of the Krembil Foundation, he supports pioneering medical research, particularly in neuroscience and immune-mediated diseases. The Chiefswood After Care Program, led by Stacey Krembil, ensures lifelong homes for their horses.

“As longtime owners and dedicated members of the Woodbine racing community through our family’s stable, it is a true honour to join the Board,” said Krembil. “I am excited to collaborate with the Board and Woodbine’s leadership to help shape a vibrant future for racing in Ontario, supporting the interests of owners, breeders, trainers, and the entire Woodbine community.”

Tom Mungham served as CEO and Registrar of the AGCO from 2020 to 2023, following 14 years as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Licensing. At AGCO, he led the regulation of industries including gaming, lottery, horse racing, and retail cannabis and alcohol.

Throughout his AGCO tenure, Mungham collaborated with Boards, government officials, and stakeholders across various industries to advance public policy, enhance safety, and boost economic development.

In recognition of his work, the AGCO led by Mungham received the 2023 NAGRA Award and the 2022 IAGR Award of Excellence for designing and operationalizing Canada’s first regulatory framework for an open, regulated internet gaming sector.

Prior to AGCO, Mungham was a senior executive with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). He currently serves on several boards, including in his community and one of Canada’s national historical sites, Ministers Island.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Woodbine management team for many years on various regulatory matters, and having seen firsthand how they operate, I’m truly excited to be joining their Board,” said Mungham. “I look forward to contributing to the continued success of Woodbine and positively impacting the industry and its people.”

In their role on the Board of Directors, Krembil will serve on both the Thoroughbred Racing Committee and the Audit Committee, while Mungham will serve on the Standardbred Racing Committee and the Governance Committee.

“We look forward to adding Mark and Tom’s wealth of experience as their expertise complements our Board’s deep collective experience, which spans not only horse racing but other key sectors vital to our complex business and operations,” added Lawson.

Krembil and Mungham’s appointments are subject to AGCO approval.

Bios of Current Board of Directors

Jim Lawson (Executive Chair)

Lawson has had a lifelong association with horse racing and has been involved in the industry for 45 years. He is a Sovereign Award-winning owner and currently the Chair of the Finance Committee of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) and a member of the Jockey Club’s (U.S.) Thoroughbred Safety Committee. Lawson is the former Chair and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, and former Chair of the Jockey Club of Canada and Ontario Racing.

Hugh Mitchell (Lead Director)

Mitchell has been involved in racetrack management for 44 years. Prior to that, his family owned Standardbred racehorses for 15 years. Mitchell spent nearly a decade leading Western Fair District as President and CEO. Previously, he was the SVP of Racing at Woodbine Entertainment, overseeing both breeds. He is also a former Chairman of the Board of Harness Tracks of America and Chair of the Ontario Racing Board of Directors.

R.M. (Bob) Aziz

Aziz has been involved as a Thoroughbred owner and is passionate about horse racing. He is currently the COO of OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), Chair of Bruce Power, Lead Director for Brewers Retail and sits on the Board of Directors of Halton Health Care. He has worked previously in the financial sector (TD Bank), as well as in real estate as the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for Oxford Properties and the President of Great Gulf Homes.

Brad Grant  

Grant is a businessperson, philanthropist, and successful Standardbred horse owner. He has led all owners in purse winnings in eight of the last nine years at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Grant won the Owner of the Year Award in the U.S. in 2022 and has owned numerous champions, including Stay Hungry, and Hambletonian winners Atlanta and Ramona Hill as well as the world’s fastest Standardbred Bulldog Hanover. Grant’s continuous efforts to give back and help others has been recognized, receiving the 2018 Humanitarian Award from the U.S. Harness Writers. He’s also a past Chair of the Milton District Hospital Foundation and continues to sit on the hospital board as a director.

Edward C. Hannah

Hannah is a Founding Partner for the Karama Investment Partnership, which provides strategic and transaction consulting services to various clients involved in venture investing, agriculture, gaming, and horse racing. Highly respected and recognized as one of the horse racing industry’s leading experts in compliance and wagering, Hannah’s expertise was developed as an executive during his lengthy career working and consulting for the Stronach Group of racetracks.

Marvin Katz  

Katz is a prominent, O’Brien Award-winning Standardbred owner and breeder and has been involved in the sport for 40 years. Katz has owned multiple North America Cup winners and champions in both the U.S. and Canada, including Tall Dark Stranger, Ariana G and Captaintreacherous. He is President and Co-Founder of Toronto private real estate company KG Group.

Michael Lay

Lay is a prominent Thoroughbred owner at Woodbine who owns 12 horses (solely or in partnership with other owners), including most recently campaigning stakes-winner Cruden Bay. A strong supporter of equine aftercare, Lay donated graded stakes winner A Thread of Blue to LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society.  Away from the track, Lay is a Managing Partner and Head of ONCAP, the middle market private equity platform of Onex, which invests and manages capital on behalf of shareholders, institutional investors, and high net worth clients from around the world.

Scott Mitchell

Mitchell is a current Thoroughbred owner and Managing Partner and CEO of the Hamilton Sports Group (HSG), the ownership group that operates the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL and Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League (CPL). He and his family have been successful owners in both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing.

Jaime Roth

Roth is an experienced breeder and owner who founded LNJ Foxwoods with her parents Larry and Nanci Roth in 2012. She is also the founder of the Horses First Fund, a charity that assists Thoroughbreds and their caretakers in need of emergency aid. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Roth’s organization donated hot meals to Woodbine’s backstretch workers. In 2023 at Woodbine, LNJ Foxwoods, in partnership with Gainesway Farm, campaigned the Sovereign Award Winner Champion Female Sprinter: Loyalty. LNJ Foxwoods is the co-owner of 2019 Kentucky Derby Winner Country House and 2019 Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Sprint champion and two-time Eclipse champion Covfefe.

Mark Saunders

Saunders is a retired police officer and most recently, the Chief of Police for the Toronto Police Service – the largest municipal Police Service in Canada. Saunders is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for Outstanding Community Contributions.

Blake Tohana  

Since 2016, Tohana has been the CFO of 9 Story Media Group, a leading independent creator, producer and distributor of premium children’s content and in June 2024, Scholastic Inc., the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, acquired 100% of the economic interest and a minority of voting rights in 9 Story. He worked in the horse racing and wagering business from 2003 -2010 while serving as Executive Vice President and CFO of Magna Entertainment Corp.

Yvonne Schwabe (Non-Director Member)

Schwabe has been a breeder for over 25 years and is the owner of Persley Den Farms in Acton, Ontario. Schwabe notably bred 2013 Queen’s Plate winner Midnight Aria. In addition to her successful breeding operation, Schwabe is a former director and current Funding Chair for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. She has also served on several other industry boards and committees, including as a former Ontario and National Director of the CTHS and as a Steward of the Jockey Club of Canada.

Schwabe currently sits on The Thoroughbred Racing Committee of Woodbine Entertainment’s Board of Directors.

From Woodbine Entertainment