That's the only difference - we just flipped the whole focus on what we are doing as a business. What do we want to generate for racing, how do we save racing [and] how do we grow it into a better sport for the future?
The response was a three-pronged strategy: revitalising and repositioning harness racing in the region; growing the business and attracting new audiences; and lifting the value of the club's property assets.
The third part of that trifecta was first out of the gate for Dowding.
The club is developing a 1.8ha urban village on a carparking space on Greenlane West, with ground floor retail and apartments above.
The first stage is set to open in 2017, with the full development creating more than 5000sq m of retail space and 246 apartments - a mix of one-, two- and three-bedrooms, selling for between $550,000 and $4.75 million - across four buildings.
On the other side of the park, the Blues Super Rugby franchise will take up residence in a purpose-built training facility by year's end. The site also hosts Cirque du Soleil, which has another four years to run on its lease, plus restaurant, daycare and business tenants, including Burger King and Caltex on Manukau Rd.
Building a new revenue stream from the ground up appeals to Dowding's entrepreneurial spirit.
"I'm not a maintaining CEO; I'm a fix-it CEO or a start-up CEO."
She had the backing of her board, but winning over the club's members took a lot more work. The membership knocked back the first proposal for three commercial buildings on the vacant site.
Dowding says she went away and worked on the plan to develop an urban village, based on boutique retail, cafes and lifestyle businesses at street level.
"I felt that it actually allowed us to retain the ground floor - because members didn't want to sell the land - and use the airspace as freehold property, so we could actually extract that cash and use it for the betterment of harness racing."
The club will fund the development with a $200 million loan.
For the Canadian, by way of Canterbury, the membership-owned club is a world away from the commercial organisations she has worked for in the past.
Unlike with a shareholder company, club members don't gain any financial benefit from the club's commercial activities.
"A shareholder comes to a meeting and they are expecting a dividend, whereas a member's not expecting a dividend but they're expecting value and they are expecting the club will always do the best for harness [racing]."
She was lured north by the task of setting the club on a strong commercial path, but nearly didn't apply, thinking the male-dominated sport wouldn't appoint a woman.
"But the board are commercially experienced, so they understood that we need a game-changer and thankfully they believed in me to be that game-changer."
The club, which began in 1890 and has been holding its Friday night trots since the 1950s, turns over $21 million a year but had been forecast to make a loss in the latest financial year.
Instead, it recorded a $280,000 net operating profit, which is a credit to Dowding, says chairman Kerry Hoggard in its annual report.
The club's amalgamation with Pukekohe-based Franklin Racing Club, which is now the site of a training facility, plus a marketing push aim to boost participation in harness racing.
Dowding has an eye on boosting the club's bottom line profit to $4 million, which will be ploughed back into the sport.
Leading a passionate membership base is not without its challenges, and Dowding admits she has learnt to "tone down my driving a bit" and listen to feedback.
She says it has been tough dealing with some of the gossip that's part of a membership-based organisation, and attempts to steer clear of negative talk by staying focused on the organisation's long-term objectives.
"At the end of the day I am here to perform and my performance means that I need to make this club stronger and I take this very seriously. And so I will just keep focused on that.
"So long as my board agrees with my direction, they are my masters."
