MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
Simmonds was awarded an OBE for Services to Sport in 2006.
She is also a former Trustee of GambleAware and a Member of the Government’s High Street Forum.
During her long career in the gambling industry, she gained numerous skills in areas such as public affairs and stakeholder engagement, public relations and strategic communications, policy and media relations, marketing communications, management and strategic planning, change management and corporate and crisis communications.
Under her chairship, the BGC has created and supported over 119,000 jobs, from high street to hospitality and from tourism to tech.
AWARDS
At the Global Gaming Awards London 2022, Simmonds was Shortlisted in the 'Executive of the Year' category.
EMPLOYMENT
Brigid Simmonds served as Chair of the BGC from October 2019 until April 2024, where she was succeeded by Michael Dugher.
Before this, Brigid was the Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association from 2009 to 2019.
She served as Director and Chairman of The Tourism Alliance for 17 years and was VP and Chairman of the Sport and Recreation Alliance for 18 years.
She also served as the Chief Executive of Business In Sport and Leisure between January 1992 and July 2009.
Between 2002 and 2003, she was the Director of Leicester City Football Club and between 1996 and 2002, she was a Council Member of Sport England.
PRODUCTS LAUNCHED
In September 2021, the BGC launched a bid to raise awareness among 11–19-year-olds through a four-year education programme.
In the same year, BGC financially supported GambleAware to expand its services.
BGC members also backed Bet Regret, a two-year GambleAware safer gambling campaign aimed at young people.
In October 2021, BGC launched a campaign called ‘Take Time To Think,’ which aims to promote safer gambling by encouraging customers to use the wide range of safer gambling tools offered by the body’s members.
A number of high-profile races have also seen operators donate their profits to charity, as a result of projects organised by the BGC.
“We want people to gamble safely and we have to recognise that online is a global industry. I don’t believe in prohibition anyway, but even if you did close down the industry in this country, it would be available to gamblers elsewhere” Brigid Simmonds OBE
Interviews and public speeches
Simmonds has spoken to Gambling Insider and spoken at the BGC's Annual General Meeting on more than one occasion. In a 2021 interview, Simmonds discussed player responsibility, how gambling is seen within politics and much more.
