GambleAware makes senior appointments in major restructuring

The responsible gambling charity is making eight new appointments including a new chief operations officer, chief commissioning officer and chief communications officer.

UK.- The responsible gambling charity Gamble Aware is making a string of new hires as part of a major restructuring.

It’s hired a new chief operations officer, chief commissioning officer and chief communications officer, a research, information and knowledge director, a head of programme and project management, leads for prevention and evaluation, and a fundraising and engagement manager.

Anna Hargrave has been named chief commissioning officer. She spent 13 years at the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) working at the national level with government and industry, something that GambleAware said would benefit the expansion of its National Gambling Treatment Service.

Hargrave said: “I am pleased to have been given the opportunity to share my skills of working within the health and care system with GambleAware and look forward to working with the charity and other public health agencies, local authorities and organisations to help reduce gambling harms.”

Alexia Clifford, former marketing director at Public Health England (PHE), has been named as chief communications officer. 

GambleAware said the restructuring is designed to allow it to increase its capacity and resources to deliver on its five-year organisational strategy.

Chief executive Zoë Osmond said: “We are very pleased to welcome our new senior leaders, each of whom bring with them invaluable skills and knowledge in areas integral to the successful delivery of our new five-year organisational strategy.

“We are working hard to drive forward GambleAware’s new programme of work which demonstrates leadership in establishing, developing, and maintaining a coordinated network of services, including the expansion of the National Gambling Treatment Service.”

Last week, GambleAware announced funding to help establish the UK’s first hub for academic research into gambling harm. It said the hub would apply a “public health lens” to the impact of gambling harms. 

It has also relaunched its Bet Regret campaign on television, radio and digital platforms to coincide with the start of the new Premier League football season.