Rodney Moore (60) began the job at last Thursday's meeting and comes to the club from the University Of Otago, where he worked in marketing and communications in the North Island before becoming taking on an industrial relations role in Dunedin in the last two years.
Prior to his time at the University of Otago, Moore was chief executive of Wellington Cricket for 10 years.
His arrival coincides with the club taking over the running of the bar, Wobbly's, which had been previously been operated on a lease.
The club assumes control of the bar next Monday.
Board of management chairman Tony Dunstan said the bar and bistro was an important part of the club's facilities which included on-course and off-course catering and the events centre.
Dunstan said Moore had all the right skills to replace John Ayoub, who resigned in April.
"We were surprised at the calibre of candidates, which was quite encouraging as I thought we might have struggled,'' he said.
"Our vision for the organisation is to get racing back to where it's cost-neutral.
"The skills and experience that Rodney brings is very complementary to that.''
The events centre held the careers expo with 47 stalls and about 2000 secondary school pupils a fortnight ago and "it went off without a hitch'', Dunstan said.
"We've got magic facilities, albeit a little dated, but that will come. We've got a car park and all the rest.''
"We've got a responsibility to get it right at the grass-roots. We've got to get our membership right, then get the non-racing fraternity out here to see it as an entertainment venue.''
Moore said his decade at Wellington Cricket should serve him well in the new job.
"It's not too dissimilar to where Forbury Park are in that it encompasses a range of things from day to day admin, but also the marketing and working closely with the board and the racing committee and the whole event management side.
"From my point of view, this is a great opportunity. Forbury Park is an iconic venue not only in Dunedin, but nationally as well. I'd like to think I can add value to Forbury Park while I'm here.''
The decision to take over the running of Wobbly's would not be a universally popular decision with regular patrons of the bar, but Moore said it made business sense.
"At the end of the day, profits are going to a third party and not being reinvested back in to the facilities. That's a key part of it. If we're going to grow Forbury Park . . . we need all business components working to that end.''
The friction between the board of management and the committee had all but disappeared which Forbury Park Trotting Club president Gerald Cayford said was due to open lines of communication.
"The committee and board have finally started to support one another.
"The argument side has gone out of there. They're informed in what's going on - both sides of them. That's taken that negativity away.''
The club recorded a big deficit of $205,986 before depreciation at last year's annual meeting in November.
Dunstan said a positive profit and loss result would not be possible this financial year due to some capital expenditure cost.
"I'm cautiously guarded but we are confident we've got the mechanics in place to take things forward.''
Cayford agreed that the picture was looking brighter than seven or eight months ago.
"I spend a bit of time here, and so do these boys here. If I wasn't confident and Tony wasn't confident, I don't think either of us would be here, to be fair.''
