Gibraltar hires William Hill director as regulatory head

government of Gibraltar has announced the appointment of Andrew Lyman, former director of regulatory affairs at William Hill as the new head of its Gambling Division.

Officials have confirmed that Lyman will take up his new role in January 2018, replacing Phil Brear who headed up the division for almost ten years. Brear will step into a new advisory role with both the government and the Gambling Division.

Lyman has been director of group regulatory affairs and head of public affairs at William Hill for eight years, having previously served as acting CEO of the Association of British Bookmakers, director of monitoring and enforcement for the UK Gambling Commission, enforcement lawyer/Investigator for the Financial Services Authority, and tax investigations manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

In a statement announcing the appointment, Albert Isola, Minister with responsibility for Gambling in Gibraltar said: “Andrew is very well known in the industry, here in the UK and further afield, as an authoritative voice on policy, regulation, public affairs and the operation and development of all aspects of remote and non-remote gambling.

“His experience with HMRC, the FSA, the Gambling Commission, William Hill and more widely with industry bodies made him an outstanding candidate in the selection process and we are delighted he is joining us in Gibraltar."

In his new role, Lyman will be charged with preparing the groundwork for a swathe of regulatory and policy introductions due to take place in 2018, following a review of the Gibraltar Gambling Act in 2016.

Isola added: "Andrew will now be driving the excellent work of the Gambling Division and enhancing that process.

“The government recognises that this area needs more resource and support and we are very fortunate to have Andrew joining us. I am pleased that we will continue to have the experience, knowledge and support of Phil Brear in his new position supporting Andrew and Government in this area.

“Gibraltar remains committed to supporting the gaming community and to providing the very best in remote and all other gambling services, safely and securely, and Andrew's appointment reflects this commitment and determination to remain best in class."