British Gambling Commission makes new appointments to Digital Advisory Panel
A trio of new members have been appointed to advise the regulator on how emerging trends could impact the gambling market.
UK.- The British Gambling Commission has announced a trio of new appointments to its Digital Advisory Panel (DAP). Mei Chen, Sarah Hennessy, and Harry Harcus will advise the regulator on ways to manage new risks that may come from online gambling platforms.
The DAP was established in 2019 as one of the Gambling Commission’s expert advisory groups. Its role is to advise the regulator on the evolving digital marketing landscape and how emerging trends could have an impact on how the gambling market operates, how the regulator interacts with operators and how operators interact with consumers.
The aim is to provide expertise that can help the regulator adapt to the ways the profile of the sector is changing and make sure that consumer protections are effective as the market evolves. The panel can also be asked to give guidance on specific projects.
Who’s joining the Gambling Commission’s Digital Advisory Panel
Chen has senior executive experience focused on large-scale consumer digital platforms, marketplaces, and AI-driven personalisation across Western and Asian markets. The Gambling Commission noted that she brings direct experience of how digital platforms interact with consumers at scale, including through data analytics, algorithmic personalisation, and cross-border compliance.
She previously worked as a managing director at the online marketplace SHEIN and general manager at Alibaba, where she led consumer markets across Europe and the US. She also did a stint at Google, leading marketing solutions and global sales strategy.
Chen is a board member at Edify Collective, an AI-native platform that delivers personalised, performance support for frontline teams and was previously a non-executive director and chair of the Investment and Innovation Committee at Innovo Group. She is a Harvard Business School alumna, a visiting lecturer at INSEAD and was recognised as one of the UK’s Fifty Most Inspirational Women in Technology.
For her part, Hennessy has held senior digital leadership roles at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Ministry of Defence and the National Crime Agency. Across these organisations, she has established and led portfolio offices and programme teams, designed and implemented target operating models, and delivered digital and transformation programmes valued at up to £200m, the Gambling Commission says.
Most recently, she served as Head of Global IT Portfolio and Head of Digital Transformation at the nuclear energy company Newcleo. This role involved the introduction of AI and automation tools to enhance reporting, strengthen governance, and improve delivery efficiency, the Gambling Commission says.
Finally, Harcus is a media expert who provides strategic advice to the media and advertising technology industry. He has held leadership positions at WPP, most recently as Chief Solutions Officer EMEA for WPP Media. His tenure at WPP also included roles as CEO EMEA at Xaxis, which is involved in AI-powered advertising, and Managing Director UK at Finecast in the Connected TV (CTV) space. Earlier in his career, he held digital operations leadership roles at AOL-TimeWarner and Guardian News & Media. The Gambling Commission highlighted his
expertise in programmatic, CTV and emerging addressable media technologies.
