Latest appointment brings strong civil service experience but continues trend of appointing directors with no industry experience
The UK government has appointed Emma Floyd as director of sport and gambling at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Floyd is an experienced civil servant and most recently served as director of clean energy investment at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
She takes over in her new role from Ben Dean, who served as director of sport and gambling for more than six years before moving to the Cabinet Office in February 2026.
“It’s a new sector for me, but one I’m excited to get stuck into,” said Floyd. “Sport and gambling sit right at the intersection of growth, regulation and public trust – and they matter a lot to people, communities and everyday life across the country. There’s a real opportunity to get that balance right.
“I’m looking forward to getting under the skin of the issues, working with colleagues across DCMS and wider government, and building strong relationships with the organisations and bodies that are central to how the sector operates – and across the sector more broadly to deliver in practice.”