Appointment details

Gambling Commission Chair

Summary

• Organisation: Gambling Commission
• Sponsor department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Location: West Midlands
• Sectors: Culture, Media & Sport
• Skills: Business, Change Management, Commercial, Regulation, Transformation, Casework and Complaints Handling
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 2 day(s) per week
• Remuneration: £59,950 per annum
• Length of term: 4 years
• Application deadline: 11:59pm on 18 May 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   17 April 2025

2. Application deadline

   11:59pm on 18 May 2025

3. Sifting date

   6 June 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   25 June 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is seeking to appoint a new Chair of the Gambling Commission. 

The successful candidate will lead on the strategy and governance of this executive body and the delivery of its objectives. They will promote high standards of financial governance, encouraging the efficient and effective use of staff and other resources throughout the Commission. 

Appointment description

The 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 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.

Key priorities for the Chair at present include:

• Appropriately engaging with DCMS on effectively implementing the Gambling Act Review.
• Continuing to drive improvements in consumer protection and prevention of harm, and evaluating the impact and success of changes already introduced.
• Tackling Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and illegal gambling related issues.
• Overseeing the delivery and ongoing regulation of the 4th National Lottery Licence.
• Leading the Board and organisation at a time of significant scrutiny. 

Organisation description

The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain. The total annualised UK gross gambling yield is £15.6bn (for the period covered April 2023 to March 2024). The Commission is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

The Commission’s activity is governed by the three licensing objectives set out in section one of the Gambling Act 2005:

• keeping crime out of gambling
• ensuring gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and;
• protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The Gambling Commission is also responsible for licensing and regulating the National Lottery. Here the Commission’s duties see us working to protect the integrity of the Lottery, protect players’ interests and maximise funds to good causes. The Commission’s duties under the National Lottery Act are to:

• ensure that the Lottery is run with all due propriety;
• ensure that the interests’ of all participants are protected;
• and to ensure the returns to National Lottery good causes are maximised.

Following the appointment of a new operator in February 2024, we are working on the regulation of the fourth National Lottery Licence. In addition, we regulate society lotteries.

As the Commission continues to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to implement the recommendations of the Gambling Act Review White Paper (High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age), the next few years provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make gambling safer, fairer and crime free. A new Chair will help put the Commission in a prime position to grasp that opportunity in full.

In 2025-26, the Commission will enter the second year of its Corporate Strategy, delivering across five areas of strategic focus: 

1. Using data and analytics to make gambling regulation more effective
2. Enhancing our core operational functions
3. Setting clear, evidence-based requirements for licensees
4. Being proactive and addressing issues at the earliest opportunity
5. Regulating a successful National Lottery. 

How we regulate

As a strong and effective regulator, we regulate in a transparent, accountable and consistent way. 

We exist to safeguard players and the wider public by ensuring gambling is fair and safe and are committed to making faster, further progress in reducing harm.  

The way people gamble continues to evolve. People gamble in different ways, on different products and with different regularity. The global pandemic impacted the way people gambled and as a result our approach to regulation. Using comparable surveys, fewer people report gambling regularly now compared to before the pandemic, but consumers are collectively spending more money gambling than in 2019.

Below these headline trends, consumer behaviour and the individual commercial performance and drivers of our licensees differ. More people than ever before now gamble online rather than in person. An increasing proportion of consumers play higher risk products, and fewer use cash as a method of payment. In response, the gambling industry in Great Britain continues to evolve based on changes in consumer behaviour and changes to regulation. Licensees also continue to seek to influence consumer behaviour through product innovation and adapting their business models. Mergers and acquisitions have changed the structure of the industry, the scale of the largest businesses and their global footprint.

Our regulation needs to be responsive to changes in the wider environment. We focus our resources on those issues and operators that potentially present the greatest risk to the licensing objectives and consumers. We do this by:

• licensing gambling businesses
• licensing people who work in the gambling industry, in specific roles
• setting out licence conditions and codes of practice 
• carrying out compliance activities
• enforcement action and compliance work, if a business or individual breaches their licence conditions
• working closely with the gambling industry to raise standards
• providing advice and guidance to players and the public
• being the leading authority on gambling-related statistics, data and research. 

We are long established as an evidence-based regulator, producing Official Statistics and a range of other research in relation to the gambling market. We conduct research on consumer participation in gambling and the National Lottery and we gather regular market information. We publish our research and data to improve understanding of gambling in Britain, to inform our advice to Government, and to help shape policy development. 

We engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry and trade body representatives, third sector organisations and our own expert groups (the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, the Digital Advisory Panel, Industry Forum and the Lived Experience Advisory Panel).   We also work in close partnership with law enforcement agencies, other regulators and public bodies.  

Many gambling operators in Great Britain provide services in other international markets and we are well respected internationally and work with gambling regulators across the world..  

The National Lottery occupies a unique place in the UK’s gambling landscape, as a low risk, mass market product to support arts, sports, heritage and community projects. We oversee the operator of the National Lottery, ensuring that it is run effectively and that as much money as possible goes to good causes. 

For further information about the Gambling Commission please visit our website www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Diversity and Inclusion at the Gambling Commission

Our commitment to providing equal opportunities to all and creating a diverse and inclusive workforce is paramount in what we do. It is vital that the new Chair of the Board shares and champions this ethos.

In 2023-24 the Commission launched our updated Diversity and Inclusion strategy, helping us to strengthen our ways of working and foster an inclusive environment, as well as ensuring we continue to meet our legal obligations. The Commission is seeking to maximise opportunities to attract and retain diverse representation throughout our workforce and grow our reputation as an inclusive employer that values the rich spectrum of diversity. 

Board members and an organisation’s staff 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. 

The Gambling Commission’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is underpinned by their Ways of Working. These are part of the performance expectations of everyone across the organisation – including the Chair. You can find out more about Ways of Working here. 

Board composition

Commissioners

We currently have eight Commissioners, including the Chair and CEO, who are all appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. More information on each of our Commissioners can be found  Board of Commissioners

We have two Board sub-committees and details about the role, remit and membership of each committee can be found here  Audit and Risk Committee and Remuneration Committee

The Executive Team

Our Executive Team is responsible for the leadership and management of the Commission. More information about the senior staff who make up this group can be found here. 

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website 

Person specification

Essential criteria

Candidates must be able to demonstrate:

• Leadership: the ability to set strategic vision and drive forward priorities of the organisation, with a strong track record in relevant senior leadership roles 
• Knowledge: an understanding and appreciation of the work, priorities and challenges of the organisation and the context within which it operates. 
• Experience: a strong track record of delivery on significant projects or policy issues within the private, public or voluntary sectors.
• Relationship building ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers and Senior Government officials and external stakeholders. 
• Communication: strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, accept challenge and constructively challenge others in discussions with clarity and respect.
• Judgement: effective decision-making skills with the ability to critically analyse a wide range of information to make clear and objective evidence-based recommendations to support the delivery of the organisation's objectives. 
• Collaboration: ability to work closely with the executive board and other key stakeholders, providing support, constructive challenge and assurance as appropriate.

Desirable criteria

• General understanding of regulatory and governance structures, operations, and industry best practice in compliance.

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• a short professional biography (150 words)

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the published deadline for applications.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

• Ruth Hannant/Polly Payne - DCMS Directors General for Policy (jobshare) - Panel Chair
• Dr John Craggs MBE DL - Senior Independent Panel Member
• Phylicia Jarrett  - Additional Panel Member 

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• 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.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact publicappointments@dcms.gov.uk

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the DCMS public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at publicappointments@dcms.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk.Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) controls the information you provide in your application for a Public Appointment role.

All information provided will be processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation and used to progress the relevant public appointment campaign.

DCMS will not disclose any information you provide unless required to do so in accordance with ‘access to information regimes’ (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).

Applicant details will not be shared outside of the Public Appointments process ahead of a potential Public Appointment announcement of the successful candidate/s.

Data provided by applicants to Public Appointments may be shared with the Cabinet Office.

This is in order to comply with the legal obligation required by the Governance Code of

Public Appointments under article 3.1 of the Public Appointments Order in Council 2106.

Other potential recipients of data within scope of the Public Appointments process include the Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP) for each campaign, the Arms Length Body to which the role/s and campaign relates, the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), the Prime Minister’s Office, The Palace (if a Queen’s appointment) and the Privy

Council (if Privy Council approval is required).

Anonymised diversity data for Public Appointment applicants and appointees will also be shared with Cabinet Office and OCPA in order to meet the public equality duty as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.

Due diligence will also be undertaken for applicants shortlisted for interview. Applicants should expect this to include searches for public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information.

Your information will be retained by the Department for two years from the date the information is received after which it will be destroyed.

Contact details

Please contact publicappointments@dcms.gov.uk

Attachments

• Privacy Notice