Marc Etches is to step down as chief executive of GambleAware at the end of March 2021, after almost a decade in the role.
Under Etches’ leadership, GambleAware has evolved to become the primary commissioner and convenor of services dedicated to reducing and preventing gambling harms in Great Britain.
Formerly known as the Responsible Gambling Trust, the charity is now guided by a public health approach, overseen by a wholly independent and expert board of trustees. It works collaboratively with those in the public health sector, including the NHS, public health agencies, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations.
Etches led a substantial increase in funding and donations during his time as CEO and leading members of the Betting and Gaming Council have recently committed further funding of £100m for the next four years. The charity now has £40m of grant funding under active management and the additional pledged funding will help GambleAware to continue to develop the National Gambling Treatment Service with its partners across England, Scotland and Wales.
The process to select a new chief executive will be led and overseen by GambleAware’s board of trustees.
Etches said: “It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve as CEO for nearly a decade and I am enormously proud of the charity’s development and the contribution it makes, in partnerships with others, to keeping people safe from gambling harms.
“With the prospect of a new era of increased funding and wider commissioning responsibilities, it is the right time for the charity to find someone with the skills and expertise necessary to take it into the next stage of its evolution.”
