The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has picked Sarah Harrison (pictured) to replace outgoing CEO Jenny Williams.
Williams is set to step down from her CEO role at the end of September and the search for her replacement has taken longer than expected. Harrison, who currently serves as senior partner of electricity and gas regulatory body Ofgem, will join the UKGC as a commissioner on Sept. 7 before assuming the full CEO role on October 1.
UKGC chairman Philip Graf said Harrison 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.”
Harrison claimed to be “very pleased” with her new gig and was looking forward to “the challenges of keeping gambling fair and safe and regulating an industry that is rapidly changing with technology.”
In other UKGC news, the commission has awarded both software and online gaming licenses to Gibraltar-based mobile gaming specialists Nektan. The firm, which has carved out a niche providing online casino platforms for media outlets like The Sun, City A.M. and Ireland’s TV3, had been operating in the UK under a continuation license. Nektan CEO David Gosen celebrated the new license, calling the UK market “a key focus for our continued growth.”
The UKGC also recently inked a cooperation agreement with its counterparts in Denmark. Spillemyndigheden (aka the Danish Gambling Authority) said the agreement with the UKGC would involve the “promotion of cross-border cooperation” and collaboration aimed at boosting the management of player accounts and supervising gambling advertising in the two countries.
