Hong Kong Jockey Club names James Bidlake as Legal and Compliance Chief

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has announced the appointment of James Bidlake as Executive Director, Legal and Compliance (EDLC), effective from 24 February 2025.

Bidlake takes over the role from Shella Ng, who is departing the Club on 5 May 2025 upon completion of her contract.

As EDLC, Bidlake will join the Club’s Board of Management and report directly to Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. He will head the Legal and Compliance Division, overseeing legal and regulatory matters across the Club and its subsidiaries, and will be responsible for safeguarding the organisation’s brand, rights and reputation. He will also serve as the Club’s Company Secretary.

Background and experience

Bidlake brings more than 25 years of legal and regulatory compliance experience across Asia. He joins from DFS Group, where he served as Group General Counsel and Executive Vice President, managing legal and compliance risk for the company’s global operations.

His earlier career includes senior legal roles at Morgan Stanley, as well as positions at Citigroup’s Investment Banking Division in Hong Kong and law firm Simmons & Simmons in both London and Hong Kong.

Bidlake holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from the University of Exeter in the UK, and completed the Common Professional Examination and Legal Practice Course at The University of Law in the UK.

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club operates racing, racecourse entertainment, membership, wagering, lottery and charitable arms. According to the release, the Club returned a total of HK$40.1 billion to the community in the 2023/24 financial year, including HK$29.9 billion in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions to the HKSAR Government, and HK$10.2 billion in charity donations. The Club describes itself as Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of its major employers.