Chair - Gambling Commission
- Body
- Gambling Commission
- Appointing Department
- Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
- Sectors
- Culture, Media & Sport, Regulation
- Location
- Birmingham
- Number of Vacancies
- 1
- Remuneration
- £55,000 per annum.
- Time Requirements
- Two days per week, with an expectation that at least one day each week will be spent in the Commission’s Birmingham office.
Campaign Timeline
-
Competition Launched
22/03/2021
-
Closed for Applications
30/04/2021 at 12:00
-
Panel Sift
w/c 17th May
-
Final Interview Date
w/c 28th June
-
Announcement
2nd September 2021
Announcement
An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.
Assessment Panel
- Panel Member
- Ben Dean
- Positions
- DCMS Director of Sport and Gambling Departmental Official
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- Panel Member
- Catharine Seddon
- Positions
- Senior Independent Director, Gambling Commission Representative of Organisation
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- Panel Member
- Amerdeep Somal
- Positions
- Senior Independent Panel Member
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Vacancy Description
The RoleThe Chair will lead the Commissioners of the Gambling Commission to deliver its statutory objectives and formulate and implement its strategic aims. The Chair’s responsibilities are:
- Strategic leadership of the Board in setting the overall direction, policy and plans for the Gambling Commission;
- Supporting and holding the executive to account to ensure delivery of the Commission’s business plan and forward strategy;
- Encouraging high standards of propriety and promoting the efficient and effective use of resources throughout the organisation; and
- Leading and motivating the Commissioners, and the Chief Executive, in undertaking their roles, including agreeing objectives and undertaking annual appraisals.
To execute the role successfully you will need the skills and abilities essential for chairing a high-profile public organisation as well as an understanding of fast moving, highly competitive markets and a knowledge of regulated industries.
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate that they can command the confidence of the companies and organisations within the gambling industry and work constructively with the new National Lottery operator, as well as have empathy and respect within the consumer landscape. A knowledge of the workings of Government would be a particular advantage.
The role demands close working relationships with diverse stakeholders, however, the candidate must also demonstrate the ability to ensure sufficient detachment to be seen as independent and driving standards within the industry.
The Priorities
Key policy areas and therefore priorities for the Chair at present include:
- Managing a successful competition for the 4th National Lottery Licence and the transition to the new Licence.
- Responding appropriately and effectively to the forthcoming Gambling Act review.
- Continuing to drive improvements in consumer protection and prevention of harm, and evaluating the impact and success of changes already introduced.
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML) / illegal gambling related issues.
Key organisational priorities for the Chair at present include:
- Leading the Board and organisation at a time of significant scrutiny, including implementing the key recommendations identified as a result of recent Public Accounts Committee and House of Lords Committee reports.
- Overseeing the successful implementation of an ambitious internal change project to optimise the progressive culture within the organisation.
Person Specification
Essential criteria:
Candidates must be able to demonstrate:
- The ability to lead an organisation in a high-profile and emotive policy area, including the ability to exercise impartial and independent judgement, drawing sound conclusions that are capable of justification under close scrutiny;
- The ability to lead the Board of Commissioners, working collaboratively to optimise the input of Commissioners, lead strategy and provide effective challenge and support to the CEO and executive.
- Strong relationship building skills, with the ability to command respect, and the ability to work with partners and other stakeholders to achieve objectives;
- Excellent communication and influencing skills including the ability to operate effectively and comfortably as an ambassador for the organisation; and
- High standards of integrity, and an understanding of the principles and practices of corporate governance.
Additional Information
DCMS values and cares passionately about the diversity of it’s public appointments. Boards of public bodies should reflect our diverse society in order to ensure the sector has a leadership that draws fully on the different skills and perspectives our country has to offer.
We strongly encourage applications from all candidates and particularly welcome applications from women, those with a disability, and those from a black or ethnic minority background.
We ask all applicants to complete a diversity monitoring form. We hope you will help us by providing this information. Your data is not disclosed to the panel, but allows us to constantly evaluate any potential barriers to becoming a public appointee and whether there are any changes we could make to encourage a more diverse field to apply.
Disability Confidant
We guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence in your application, which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria. If you want to apply under this scheme, simply state this in the covering email or letter when submitting your application.
If you would like a confidential discussion regarding any reasonable adjustments during the process, please also indicate this in the covering email or letter.
Eligibility Criteria
You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:
- you become bankrupt or make an arrangement with a creditor
- your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors;
- you are disqualified from acting as a company director under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986;
- you have been convicted of a criminal offence, the conviction not being spent for the purposes of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (c. 53);
- you become subject to a debt relief order or a bankruptcy restrictions order;
- you fail to declare any conflict of interest.
Conflicts of Interest and Due Diligence
If you have any interests that might be relevant to the work of the Gambling Commission, and which could lead to a real or perceived conflict of interest if you were to be appointed, please provide details in your application. If you have queries about this and would like to discuss further please contact the Public Appointments Team.
Given the nature of public appointments, it is important that those appointed as members of public bodies maintain the confidence of Parliament and the public. If there are any issues in your personal or professional history that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment, or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised, it is important that you bring them to the attention of the Advisory Assessment Panel and provide details of the issue(s) in the statement supporting your application. In considering whether you wish to declare any issues, you should also reflect on any public statements you have made, including through social media.
As part of our due diligence checks we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This will include us undertaking searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. This information may be made available to the Advisory Assessment Panel and they may wish to explore issues with you should you be invited to interview. The information may also be shared with ministers and the Cabinet Office.
How to Apply
To apply, please send:
- a CV of not more than two sides of A4
- a supporting statement of not more than three sides of A4, providing examples and setting out how you meet the criteria
- the Diversity Monitoring Form concerning your personal information and political activity, and
- the Declaration of Interests Form
Completed applications should be emailed to: publicappointments@dcms.gov.uk
Please put ‘Gambling Commission Chair’ in the subject line.
If you have any questions about the appointments process, please email: anders.eriksen@dcms.gov.uk