Irish government announces first-ever regulatory chief
Civil servant Anne Marie Caulfield to become inaugural CEO of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland on a four-year term
The Irish government has appointed its first-ever CEO of its new regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.
Senior civil servant Anne Marie Caulfield will take up the mantle of leading the regulator, which is expected to become operational in 2023.
Caulfield, who previously served as the director of the Residential Tenancies Board for eight years, was appointed following an open, international competition run by the Public Appointments Service.
New gambling legislation is currently being prepared for publication in the autumn, overseen by Department of Justice junior minister James Browne.
The new bill could allow the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland to issue regulatory fines of up to €20m.
Alongside naming Caulfield as CEO, the Department of Justice noted it had established a programme board to help oversee the process of bringing legislation to light in a timely manner.
The department said this, along with the early appointment of a CEO, would go some way in “minimising the time between the enactment of the legislation and the date on which the regulator commences operations”.
Caulfield is set to serve a four-year term as CEO and earn a renumeration package of around €200,000.
Speaking on her appointment as CEO, Caulfield said: “It is a great privilege to be appointed as CEO designate of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland. Effective and efficient regulation of this sector is crucial, and I relish the challenge of putting that framework in place.
“I look forward to developing a close working relationship with all of the stakeholders in the sector, gambling regulators elsewhere in the EU and with Department of Justice officials,” she added.
Browne commented: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Anne Marie Caulfield, who will bring a wealth of professional experience and expertise to the role.
“She is working closely with my department to identify staffing and resourcing needs and to develop procedures for how the authority will function once operational.
“The early appointment of the CEO will bring the benefit of continuity and leadership for the new authority in its formative stages through to its formal establishment and commencement of its regulatory functions next year,” he added.