Former Gambling Commission chief exec Andrew Rhodes takes up role at new industry consultancy
Rhodes has begun a role at the newly founded betting and gaming consultancy Hawkbridge.
UK.- Andrew Rhodes, the former chief executive of Britain’s Gambling Commission has begun work in his new role in the private sector at the international strategic consultancy Hawkbridge. Sky News had reported in March that the former regulator was in talks to take up a position with the new London-based advisory, which focuses on the betting and gaming industry.
Following the announcement of his resignation in February, Rhodes left the Gambling Commission at the end of April, almost five years after he took the helm, initially as acting CEO in June 2021. He began in the role when the regulator was under intense scrutiny amid the abrupt resignation of Neil McArthur in the wake of the controversy around the collapse of Football Index.
Confirmed as permanent CEO in May 2022, Rhodes went on to guide the regulator through a period of intense change in gambling oversight. This included informing the UK government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act and implementing the subsequent Gambling White Paper recommendations, for which consultations are still ongoing in some areas.
He oversaw the introduction of the new Gambling Survey for Great Britain, regarded as one of the largest studies of gambling behaviour worldwide, and the tender for the Fourth National Lottery licence, which saw the lottery pass to a new operator for the first time since its inception.
What is Hawkbridge?
Hawkbridge is a consultancy focused on the gambling sector. It was established this year by Bahar Alaeddini, John Hagan and David Whyte, the partners of the London-based gambling law firm Harris Hagan. The consultancy claims to offer the gambling industry “sharp, pragmatic counsel – informed by the industry without being captive to it”.
It adds on its website: “We think ahead of the regulator. Our work covers the products, strategies and approaches clients are considering before they engage with regulators – anticipating the questions the regulator will ask, the rules the regulator may apply, and the path that will produce the best outcome.”
Hawkbridge has confirmed that in his new role Rhodes will provide counsel on international regulatory strategy, government and regulatory engagement, governance, and operational standards.
The consultancy’s co-founder Bahar Alaeddini said: “Hawkbridge was established to give operators, suppliers, investors and boards sharp, pragmatic counsel on the questions that sit above legal advice and beyond commercial diligence.”
Rhodes acknowledged that he will now advise on navigating measures introduced during his own leadership, such as financial risk assessments, which the Gambling Commission has yet to make a final decision on, and the 2025 ban on cross-selling bonuses.
He said: “The next five years will be more consequential for gambling regulation than we have seen in many years, and even more so than I saw as Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission in the previous five years. This brings uncharted challenges for boards, investors and leaders.
“I have decided to join the founders of Hawkbridge for a simple reason: there has rarely been a single source of regulatory, commercial and operational advice at such a senior and experienced level available to the sector. The best counsel draws on every vantage point, operator, adviser and regulator alike, which is why I am so pleased to bring my own experience to Hawkbridge.”
The Gambling Commission said in a statement back in March: “Andrew has told us he is going to work within the wider sector and has been open with us about his plans”.
