Mark Harris appointed as National Lottery Commissioner

Chief Executive of the National Lottery Commission, Mark Harris, has been appointed as a Commissioner by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. His appointment has been made under the terms of the National Lottery Act 2006, which allows the Secretary of State to appoint the Chief Executive as a Commission member. The appointment will be for a four year term beginning on 1 October 2007.

Mark Harris was appointed as the National Lottery Commission’s first Chief Executive in April 1999. He has recently managed the successful competition for the third Lottery Licence, and has a strong background in public sector governance, audit and regulation.

Under his executive lead, the Commission has worked with the operator to introduce a wider games portfolio, develop innovative new playing channels, and earn respect for the UK National Lottery’ s work to prevent underage and excessive play.

Dr Anne Wright CBE, Chair of the Commission said:

“Mark’s impressive operational and management expertise will enable us to strengthen our capacity as we continue to safeguard the National Lottery at this important time.”

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For further information contact Frances Bright on +44 (0) 207 016 3422 or Sarah Hanratty on +44 (0) 207 016 3430

Notes

1. Mark Harris was appointed as the UK’s National Lottery Commission first Chief Executive Officer in April 1999. He holds a law degree and is a qualified public sector accountant. He previously worked in public sector audit, and on strategic development within the NHS and the Audit Commission. He is a graduate of the Cabinet Office’s Top Management Programme and is a Board Member of the Ashridge Business School Alumni Association.

2. The other five National Lottery Commissioners are Dr Anne Wright CBE, Robert Foster, Timothy Hornsby, Sarah Thane CBE and Deep Sagar.

3. The National Lottery Act 2006 received Royal Assent in July 2006 and contains several provisions relating to the regulation and licensing of the Lottery.