The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has appointed John Blake as its first Director of Accreditation. The former chief executive of The Jockeys’ Association is tasked with managing the process of the GBGB becoming UKAS accredited.The United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the sole national accreditation body recognised by government to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.Speaking on his appointment, John Blake said:“When GBGB achieves UKAS accreditation as a certification body, a key element in the process of maintaining self-regulation with oversight from an independent organisation will be in place.‘Although not mandated by Government, the successful completion of this programme is clearly in step with the industry’s ambition for a transparent and modern sport with welfare objectives at its heart. To communicate the rationale and direct benefits of this project to all involved in greyhound racing will be a key task in underpinning its success.”Blake has direct industry expertise working as racing and greyhound editor with Teletext Ltd. In addition to this he has held managerial positions within horseracing and football with British Telecom, Ladbrokes and Racecall.Ian Taylor, GBGB Chief Executive, commented:“I am pleased John has joined the Greyhound Board, his ability to communicate and implement a structured change management program working co-operatively and in unison with our key stakeholders in Licensed Greyhound Racing will be instrumental in achieving a significant landmark. UKAS Accreditation is fundamental to the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, and I am delighted that somebody with John's knowledge and ability has taken on this exciting challenge. John has significant regulatory experience and a sound understanding of the standards we are working towards as well as a wealth of racing industry experience.‘It is the intention and a clear ambition to achieve and maintain this initial accreditation in the next 12 months approx. to fall in line with the implementation of the Animal Welfare Act in April 2010.”John Blake will work with the Greyhound Regulatory Board at the GBGB’s Holborn headquarters.