GambleAware appoints four new trustees

leAware announced today that it has appointed four new independent trustees to its Board.

Following a rigorous recruitment process spanning four months which was supported by an independent recruitment advisor, the following independent trustees were appointed: Professor Siân M Griffiths OBE, Past President of the UK Faculty of Public Health, Associate Non-Executive member of the Board of Public Health England and Trustee of the Royal Society for Public Health; Professor Anthony Kessel, former Director of Global Public Health and the Responsible Officer for Public Health England, and Honorary Professor and Co-ordinator of the International Programme for Ethics, Public Health and Human Rights at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; And Chris Pond, Chair of the Money Charity and the Equity Release Council Standards Board and the Lending Standards Board and Vice-Chair of the Financial Inclusion Commission. In addition, Jim Mullen, CEO of Ladbrokes Coral Group plc, has also been appointed as one of the 13 trustees on the board.

Professor Anthony Kessel, comments: “As a public health professional, I understand how inter-linked mental health and problem gambling can be, and know what a significant impact gambling-related harm can have on families and individuals.

“While we have made strides over recent years in bringing similar addiction-related issues into the public health agenda, gambling addiction is not yet as recognised as others.

“I am excited to take on the challenge to do all we can to help get problem gambling more widely recognised as a public health matter, and to help tackle all the adverse health and social issues that problem gambling can cause.”

Kate Lampard, Chair of GambleAware, states: “I am pleased to welcome our new independent trustees, who between them bring skills and knowledge in areas that are important to the delivery of our charitable objectives.

“Whilst we hold the view that it is right that the gambling industry stands first-in-line to contribute to research, education and harm-minimisation, we think that national and local government authorities and agencies too have a role to play in providing treatment and intervention services for those that need help, particularly where problem gambling is only one part of their need for support, or it has become so severe as to require qualified clinical treatment.”