Sarah Harrison announced as UKGC chief executive

h Harrison is to become the new chief executive of UK gambling regulator the Gambling Commission (UKGC).

Having worked as senior partner, sustainable development for electricity and gas market regulator Ofgem, Harrison will be leaving to initially join UKGC on 7 September as a commissioner, before replacing Jenny Williams in the role of chief executive on 1 October.

Harrison said: “I am very pleased to be appointed chief executive of the Gambling Commission, and look forward to the challenges of keeping gambling fair and safe and regulating an industry which is changing rapidly with technology. Working with the staff, industry, stakeholders and partners in government, I welcome the opportunity to build on the strong foundations laid by the Commission over the last decade."

Harrison previously served as managing director of corporate affairs for Ofgem and as communications director before that, and she has been with the regulator since 2000.

UKGC chairman Philip Graf said of her appointment to UKGC: “Sarah has a wealth of experience in regulation along with social and consumer policy and communications – she is well placed to lead the Commission into its second decade as the regulator of commercial gambling in Great Britain.”

It was announced in September that Williams would be vacating the position of chief executive, a position she has held since 2004.