Ygam has announced the appointment of Emily Tofield as the organisation’s new CEO.
Tofield, who will officially take up the position on 6 January 2026, will succeed former chief Jane Rigbye in the role.
Rigbye announced her departure in March after three-and-a-half years, before officially stepping down from the position in June.
Tofield joins the charity having amassed considerable experience in the civil service and higher education sectors.
Her most recent role saw her serve as executive director of corporate communications and external affairs for the City of London Corporation between June 2023 and January 2025.
Prior to that, she worked as executive director of communications, marketing and advancement at the University of Sussex from June 2021 to June 2023.
Tofield’s time in government saw her spend five years as group director of communications for the Ministry of Justice between September 2016 and June 2021.
She held a similar role for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from September 2014 to September 2016.
During a five-year spell with the Cabinet Office between June 2009 and March 2014, Tofield held several roles including chief press officer, head of communications and ministerial press secretary.
The incoming CEO also currently serves as a board director for the British Diabetic Association, chair designate for the Girls’ Learning Trust and as a trustee for homelessness charity Porchlight.
Speaking on her appointment, Tofield said: “Ygam has reached record numbers of young people as part of its critical mission to protect children and young people from gaming and gambling harms and to help safeguard their digital futures.
“As a passionate advocate for the benefits of prevention, it is a huge privilege to take on the role of chief executive of such a respected national education and prevention charity whose work already makes a difference to so many.
“High-quality, inclusive, evidence-based, preventative education around gaming and gambling harms remains as important today as when Ygam was founded, and I’m looking forward to working with the impressive Ygam team to further grow its reach, partnerships and impact in the years ahead.”
Ygam chair Mike Wojcik added: “I’m delighted to welcome Emily to Ygam following a highly competitive recruitment process.
“Her depth of experience and proven leadership across stakeholder and political engagement, and social impact, will be instrumental as we enter our next strategic cycle.
“Emily joins an exceptionally strong leadership team, and this appointment marks an important new chapter for Ygam as we continue to strengthen our position as a trusted expert voice and sector leader dedicated to preventing gaming, gambling and digital harms among young people.”
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.
The post Ygam appoints former government comms boss as new CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.
Emily Tofield set to lead the charity from January 2026 onwards following an extensive career across the civil service and higher education sectors
The post Ygam appoints former government comms boss as new CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.