Leslie MacLeod-Miller, chief executive of the UK trade association, BACTA, has resigned after a 10-year tenure at the head of the organisation.
He will officially relinquish his position from May 1 and will remain a consultant to the association.
In a prepared statement, MacLeod-Miller said: “After 10 years I am ready for a change, having received unbelievable support from BACTA members. I pay tribute to president Steve Hawkins and the Management Committee, but in particular to the secretariat, the professionalism and dedication of whom has underpinned the many challenges which we have faced.”
A BACTA press release quotes president Hawkins as saying: “Leslie has provided extraordinary service to BACTA. During his time he has worked with five ministers, six secretaries of state and six association presidents. He has taken BACTA for the first time to Downing Street and made representation to the European Parliament. Leslie has combined the roles of BACTA chief executive and general counsel, Euromat vice-president, chairing the European association’s Legal Committee and a member of the National Security Council for Fairground Rides.
“Leslie has spoken at international conferences and authored hundreds of consultation responses and articles on the industry’s behalf, including Paterson’s Licensing Act Guide and the Gambling Act 2005. He has continued to serve with characteristic intellectual rigour, dedication and enthusiasm. He has run six London Marathons for the BACTA Charitable Trust partners, including Macmillans and Rays of Sunshine.”
Among tributes included in the BACTA release is one from immediate past president Derek Petrie, who said: “Leslie helped to lead our industry through a remarkable period that saw a new Gambling Act, regulator and tax regime.” A former president, Nick Harding, added: “Leslie has been hugely influential in shaping the gambling industry and has been central to securing a number of important changes which have benefited our members.”
