Friday, 23rd October 2026
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Sebastian Hutch will become Managing Director of Inglis from January 4, 2027, completing a long-planned leadership transition at one of Australia’s most influential bloodstock businesses and succeeding Mark Webster after almost two decades at the helm. Hutch joined Inglis from Coolmore in November 2018 and has progressed rapidly through the organisation, serving initially as General Manager – Bloodstock Sales, then General Manager – Bloodstock Sales & Marketing before becoming Bloodstock CEO in 2021. Webster will remain with the company on a part-time basis as Executive Director on special projects until July 2027, when he will have completed 20 years of service, before continuing as Chair of Ardex Technology and Inglis’ US digital and other projects, as well as joining the Inglis Board as a Non-Executive Director. Hutch described the appointment as a privilege and paid tribute to the company’s long history, its people and Webster’s influence, while making clear that the strength of Inglis’ existing team would be central to the next phase of the business. His elevation is the culmination of a succession strategy that began when he was recruited eight years ago, with Inglis Chair John Coates noting that Webster had progressively stepped away from day-to-day responsibility for the bloodstock division as Hutch assumed greater leadership. Webster became the first person outside the Inglis family to lead the company when appointed Managing Director in 2007, ending 140 years of family-only leadership, and his tenure has included the relocation to Riverside Stables, development of the William Inglis Hotel and major expansion of the group’s digital auction footprint. Deputy Chair and fifth-generation family member Arthur Inglis credited Webster with pioneering innovations subsequently adopted more broadly across the industry and backed Hutch’s combination of work ethic, integrity and detailed bloodstock knowledge to lead the business forward. Hutch’s own period at Inglis has coincided with substantial growth in both traditional auction activity and digital trading, while his standing among breeders, vendors and buyers has been built through an increasingly visible role across the company’s major sales. The handover therefore represents continuity as much as change, with Webster remaining available through the transitional period and Hutch assuming control of a business the Board says is in strong health heading into 2027. For Inglis, the appointment also formally recognises what has effectively been an eight-year grooming process, taking Hutch from a senior bloodstock sales role to responsibility for the wider group.
