GambleAware appoints Anna Hargrave as Transition CEO to manage closure

Key points:  

– Osmond steps down as GambleAware CEO after four and a half years in the role

– Hargrave steps up for the six months before GambleAware’s managed closure

– Hargrave has been Deputy CEO and Chief Strategy and Commissioning Officer since 2021 

With six months to go before GambleAware’s managed closure is completed, the charity has appointed a new Transition CEO. 

Zoe Osmond will be stepping down as CEO at the end of September after four and a half years in the role, at which point she will be replaced with Anna Hargrave. 

Hargrave has held senior roles at GambleAware since November 2021, including Deputy CEO, and has been responsible for many commissioning decisions, focusing on bringing a public health focus to the charity’s work. 

She will be in charge of the day-to-day running of GambleAware, but in her role as Transition CEO, she will also focus on completing the charity’s ‘legacy ambitions’ and managing handover activity as the new statutory gambling harms system takes shape. 

Hargrave has explained that she will be working closely with the new commissioners saying: “I look forward to continuing to work with the new commissioners as they get to grips with their new responsibilities within the statutory system and will work with them to ensure their efforts build upon the current system’s achievements and insights to ensure learnings are carried forward.” 

Hargrave is attributed plenty of credit for re-commissioning the National Gambling Support Network in her role as Chief Strategy and Commissioning Officer at GambleAware. 

Good to know: GambleAware is continuing to release research in its final phase of operations and last week published a report into the effectiveness of operator-led responsible gambling promotion 

Before joining the charity, she worked in various senior positions across the NHS. 

Osmond has reflected on the ending of her association with the organisation, saying: “Few charities can truly say they’ve delivered on their founding mission, but GambleAware and the exceptional team behind it have played a pivotal role in reframing gambling harms as a public health issue and helped to shape the foundations of the new gambling harms prevention and treatment system.” 

GambleAware Chair of Trustees, Andy Boucher has thanked Osmond and expressed his confidence in Hargraves’ leadership as attentions turn towards the handover on 30 March. 

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Rory Calland

Journalist

Rory Calland is a journalist and Staff Writer at Gambling Insider, having joined the publication in June 2025. Based in the United Kingdom, he covers breaking news, industry developments and market trends across the global gambling and iGaming sectors.

At Gambling Insider, Rory reports on key commercial, regulatory and financial stories affecting operators, suppliers and stakeholders, producing timely analysis and exclusive coverage for the brand’s professional B2B audience. He has also showcased his reporting on notable industry developments such as major funding rounds, regulatory movements and market expansion.

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