GambleAware brings in Anna Hargrave to manage charity’s closure

Summary

GambleAware has appointed Anna Hargrave as its transition CEO to lead day-to-day operations and oversee the managed closure of the charity after Zoë Osmond steps down on 30 September. The organisation will cease its activities and transfer responsibility for gambling-harm prevention and treatment to the British government and new commissioners across England, Scotland and Wales by the end of March 2026, following the introduction of a statutory levy earlier this year.

Hargrave, who has been GambleAware’s chief commissioning and strategy officer and deputy CEO since November 2021, will focus on the handover and ensuring the new statutory system builds on GambleAware’s work. Chair of Trustees Andy Boucher praised Osmond’s leadership and welcomed Hargrave for the operational phase. Osmond, exiting after seven years, highlighted the charity’s role in reframing gambling harms as a public health issue.

Key Points

Anna Hargrave appointed transition CEO to manage GambleAware’s closure and handover.
Zoë Osmond will step down as CEO on 30 September after seven years with the charity.
GambleAware will halt activities and transfer responsibilities to government and new commissioners by end of March 2026.
The move follows the introduction of a new statutory levy earlier in 2025.
Organisation’s focus shifts from strategic oversight to operational delivery during the transition period.
Hargrave brings commissioning and NHS transformation experience to the critical six-month handover.
The aim is a smooth transfer so lessons and lived-experience insights are carried into the statutory system.

Why should I read this?

Short version: this is the closing chapter of one of the UK’s leading gambling-harms charities. If you work in gambling policy, treatment services, commissioning or the charity sector, this appointment and the March 2026 timeline will affect funding flows, commissioning decisions and who runs services going forward. We’ve read the detail so you know who’s in charge of the handover and why the next six months matter.