Charles Counsell, formerly the CEO of The Pensions Regulator, has been appointed as the interim chair of the Gambling Commission, a role he will hold for nine months. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced his appointment on December 18, following Marcus Boyle’s decision to leave his position in January. Boyle had initially taken on the role as chair of the regulator in September 2021, succeeding Bill Moyes with a five-year commitment.
Counsell will begin his interim chairing duties on February 1. Prior to this appointment, he has served as a senior independent director at the Gambling Commission since April 2024. He initially joined the organization as a commissioner in September 2023, amidst an announcement by Lucy Frazer, then Culture Secretary, about the induction of seven new commissioners.
Additionally, Counsell is a member of the Gambling Commission’s remuneration committee, where he collaborates with chair Lloydette Bai-Marrow and Helen Phillips. His remuneration will be £55,000 annually, which will be adjusted to a pro-rata basis for the duration of his nine-month term.
Counsell’s career includes serving as The Pensions Regulator CEO from April 2019 to March 2023, where he launched a new corporate strategy and introduced the first strategy for equality, diversity, and inclusion. He also implemented a climate change model aimed at transforming the organization. Before this role, he was the CEO of the Money Advice Service from June 2017 to December 2018, and was an executive director at The Pensions Regulator, focusing on automatic enrollment between July 2011 and May 2017.
A statement from the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport highlighted Counsell’s career focus on initiating and executing large-scale change programs requiring significant stakeholder engagement in both private and later senior public sector roles.
Recently, the Gambling Commission has intensified its efforts against unauthorized online casinos, which have been luring users through the popular children’s game, Roblox.
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The original post announcing the new Gambling Commission interim chair can be found on [EGR Intel](https://www.egr.global/intel/news/gambling-commission-interim-chair-confirmed/).