Cover image supplied
Geoff Powell, the co-founder and long-time managing director of Arion Pedigrees, has passed away at the age of 72 after a battle with Motor Neurone Disease.
“He deserves recognition as a pioneer. Geoff saw the whole picture and the value of getting data from all over the world. While others were only focussing on the domestic scene, he saw that the more data you gathered, the more accurate your figures are.
He didn’t focus on his own backyard, he saw the whole world,” said Arion Pedigrees’ Managing Director Kyla Johnston.
“He (Geoff Powell) deserves recognition as a pioneer. Geoff saw the whole picture and the value of getting data from all over the world.” – Kyla Johnston
Academically gifted, Powell grew up in Wellington and began his career in yearling preparation before heading overseas in the late 1970s. He took a role as a pedigree writer with the now-defunct British Bloodstock Agency in Newmarket, all while completing a computing degree through Open Universities. He joined the bloodstock division of Weatherbys, where he was instrumental in setting up their database and transferring their internal systems to a digital model.
In the mid-1980s, Powell returned to New Zealand to lead Wrightson Bloodstock’s computerisation project. After a decade with the company, he and colleague Chas Amon founded Arion Pedigrees, laying the groundwork for the future of racing data and pedigrees.
In 2009, Powell handed over leadership to Kyla Johnston and moved back to England where he worked remotely.
Geoff Powell | Image supplied
Kyla had joined the Arion team in 2007 and has been the face of the business since then, allowing Geoff to quietly work in the background with the data.
“Geoff was unique. What he created and did for the industry was incredible. When no one else was doing it, he computerised pedigrees, starting at Weatherbys, then Wrightsons.
“He walked his own path. That’s where his strength was, seeing new pathways and finding ways to do something when it didn’t yet exist.”
Powell understood the need for accurate data across the globe, not only in the creation of pedigrees for catalogues, but for wider analysis by industry leaders. Arion Pedigrees is a world leader in this realm thanks to Powell’s pioneering vision.
He named Arion Pedigrees in typical fashion, selecting a horse in Greek Mythology who is the half-brother to the famed Pegasus.
“He (Geoff Powell) walked his own path. That’s where his strength was, seeing new pathways and finding ways to do something when it didn’t yet exist.” – Kyla Johnston
Every time you log onto Arion to check a pedigree, analyse a successful cross, or read a sales catalogue with confidence in its global accuracy, spare a thought for the man who made it possible.
A quiet visionary, Powell combined a love of puzzles with extraordinary technical skill – building the backbone of pedigree systems for multiple Thoroughbred organisations before founding Arion, the data-driven business that changed the game.
Though intensely private, Powell leaves a legacy that will be felt every time a horse’s lineage is traced. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him.