'Short term our priority is to rebuild the trust in the brand' - new chief going 'back to basics' to get owners listened to

Louise Norman, the new chief executive of the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), has taken on the challenging task of reinvigorating an organisation accused of punching below its weight in recent years.

As well as offering benefits to members, the main purpose of the ROA is to promote and protect the interests of owners. They are the lifeblood of the industry, but one of the criticisms levelled at their representative body is that it has not always been vocal enough on issues such as media rights transparency, a bit-part player in the turf war between racing's numerous stakeholders.

It is against this challenging backdrop that Norman, 44, has stepped into British racing's power vacuum following the abrupt departure of her predecessor Charlie Liverton, first in an interim role before her permanent appointment was approved by president Charlie Parker and the ROA board in July.