Four new commissioners for UK regulator

John Penrose, the UK Minister for Tourism and Heritage, has appointed Robin Dahlberg, Anthony Lilley OBE, Walter Merricks CBE and Dr Graham Sharp as Commissioners on the Board of the Gambling Commission.

The appointments all commence on 1 January 2012, for five years in the case of Dahlberg and Merricks, and for four years in the case of Lilley and Sharp.

The Gaming Commission released biographies on the new Commissioners this week:

Robin Dahlberg has been the Vice Chair of the Security Industry Authority since 2003, a public appointment for which he receives GBP 18,320 in return for 66 days a year. He has also been a Board Member of the Health and Safety Executive since 2007, for which he receives GBP 16,781 in return for 25-30 days a year.

Both of these public appointments come to an end on 31 March 2013. He was formerly a Board Member of the Local Better Regulation Office (2007-2010) and a Lay Member of the Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate (2004-2010). He was this year appointed Chair of Orbit Heart of England Housing Association, and a Non-executive Board member of Orbit Group Ltd.

He has worked extensively with Citizens Advice since 2003, and is currently a Trustee of its Pension and Assurance Plan. He is also the Treasurer of Jubilee Gardens Trust, and was previously Vice Chair of Waterloo Community Development Group and a Trustee of Florence Nightingale Museum Trust.
His earlier professional experience involved IT management systems and internet security.

Anthony Lilley is the Chief Creative Officer and CEO of Magic Lantern Productions Ltd, a position he has held since 1999. He has been a Visiting Professor in the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice at Bournemouth University since 2009, and a Non-executive Director of Zespa Media Ltd since 2010.

In addition to advising a wide range of public sector organisations including NESTA and Arts Council England concerning the use of technology in the arts and media, he is a Patron of UK Media Literacy Taskforce, a Member of the OFCOM Content Board and of the British Screen Advisory Council, a Trustee of English National Opera, and Chairman of Lighthouse, the digital culture agency. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and former Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford. He was awarded the OBE in 2008 for services to media and creative industries. He holds no other public appointments.

Walter Merricks is a solicitor. He is currently Chairman of the Office of Health Professions Adjudicator, a position he has held since 2009, and Chairman of the Trustee Board at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. He is also a Board Member of Ombudsman Services Ltd (2010 –  to date) and Service Complaint Adjudicator for the Legal Ombudsman. He was Chief Ombudsman of the Financial Ombudsman Service (1999-2009), and was previously Insurance Ombudsman (1996-1999).

He was Assistant Secretary-General at The Law Society (1985-1996) following an earlier career as a lecturer in law and in legal journalism. From 2002- 2008 he was a Board Member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, including periods as its Deputy Chairman and Interim Chairman.
He was awarded CBE in 2007 for his contribution to the financial services industry. He holds no other public appointments.

Graham Sharp is a member of the Accounts Commission for Scotland, a public appointment for which he receives GBP 6,216 per year in return for dedicating two days per month to the role. He originally trained as a chartered accountant with Thomson Mclintock (now KPMG) in Glasgow. He possesses a wealth of private sector experience drawn from senior positions in the financial field and worked in the City of London for many years. He has held a number of roles at Board level which has included being on the Board of the leading merchant bank Samuel Montagu and being a founding director of the commercial property investment company Minerva. He was a trustee of Victoria Convalescent Trust.

Earlier this year the UK government announced its intention to merge the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission through the Public Bodies Bill. Both bodies are independent non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Appointments to the Gambling Commission are made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, and follow the OCPA Code of Practice. All public appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.

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