Gamstop Chair Chris Pond Vows to Tackle Harm, Joins CFIT

Earlier this year, Gamstop named former work and pensions minister Chris Pond as its new chair. In addition to just becoming the chair of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT), Pond has vowed to tackle Britain’s gambling harm problems.

Pond Vows to Tackle Harm and Encourage Industry Collaboration

Pond, who stepped into the position earlier this month, succeeded Jenny Watson, marking a new era for Gamstop. In this position, he will be tasked with leveraging the group’s position to drive meaningful change across the UK gaming sector.

Gamstop, which is Britain’s national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, has continued to provide crucial opportunities for local players to get their gambling habits under control. Because of that, Pond will have the responsible task of ensuring that these services remain uninterrupted and that more players experiencing gambling problems are encouraged to seek help.

Pond, for context, boasts significant experience across the public, private and non-profit sectors. In addition to his appointment as chair of Gamstop and, more recently, the CFIT, he is also chairing the boards of the Money and Mental Health Advisory Board and the Financial Services Consumer Panel at the Financial Conduct Authority.

As chair of Gamstop, Pond has highlighted the importance of increasing the visibility of self-exclusion tools, especially among vulnerable players and minority groups. In addition to that, he has highlighted the importance of creating a network of partnerships with regulatory bodies, treatment providers, gambling industry stakeholders, and the broader financial sector.

Pond argued that collaboration will reinforce Great Britain’s capabilities to identify and tackle harm.

Pond Joins Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology as Chair

As mentioned, Pond was just named as chair of the CFIT, replacing the outgoing Charlotte Crosswell. CFIT, for context, was created to tackle issues created by the rapid growth of financial technology.

As chair of the CFIT, Pond will be responsible for reducing fraud within the financial sector and championing the adoption of beneficial tech solutions.

In addition to Pond, the CFIT made a few extra appointments, naming two new board members, including Nausicaa Delfas, CEO of The Pensions Regulator. Vivienne Artz, CEO of the FTSE Women Leaders Review, on the other hand, was named non-executive director.