Waqas Ahmed has been named deputy executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC). Ahmed takes over from Jamie Eads, who was promoted to executive director.
“I am looking forward to continuing to be a part of the team to maintain the highest standards of safety, health, and welfare for both the horses and the public, while fostering a culture of honesty and integrity in all aspects of horse racing,” he said.
Added Eads, “I'm excited that Waqas will continue in the role of deputy director. The commission benefits greatly from his data driven approach to his work and management.”
Ahmed joined the Commission in 2019 as an analyst and obtained database management and application development training to realize more than $100,000 in implementation cost-savings for the agency.
In 2020, Ahmed was appointed director of Pari-mutuel Wagering and Compliance. He oversaw the licensing of racing associations, advance deposit account wagering, and totalizator providers. While in this position, wagering increased from $1.6 billion to more than $8 billion, resulting in the monitoring of tax receipts of over $100 million per year.
Ahmed earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky, and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Austin Peay State University. He currently serves as a committee member on various industry boards, including the Wagering Integrity Committee and Association of Racing Commissioners International.
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