Emily Tofield, ex-executive director of corporate communications and external affairs at the City of London Corporation, has been appointed chief executive at Ygam, which works to prevent gaming and gambling harms among young people.
She is set to start her new role this week. Tofield will replace Helen Martin, the charity’s operating officer, who has been interim chief executive since Dr Jane Rigbye stepped down as CEO in June last year.
She will take charge of an organisation of more than 40 people, which had an income of £4.6m in 2024/25.
Mike Wojcik, chair at Ygam, said: “Her depth of experience and proven leadership across stakeholder and political engagement, and social impact, will be instrumental as we enter our next strategic cycle.”
He added: “This appointment marks an important new chapter for Ygam as we continue to strengthen our position as a trusted expert voice and sector leader dedicated to preventing gaming, gambling and digital harms among young people.”
Commenting on her new role, Tofield said: “It is a huge privilege to take on the role of chief executive of such a respected national education and prevention charity whose work already makes a difference to so many.”
She added: “High-quality, inclusive, evidence-based, preventative education around gaming and gambling harms remains as important today as when Ygam was founded, and I’m looking forward to working with the impressive Ygam team to further grow its reach, partnerships and impact in the years ahead.”
Tofield started out in TV news and current affairs, working as a producer at the BBC for several years before switching to comms in 2009 when she became press secretary to Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude.
She subsequently held senior government comms roles, including deputy director of communications, Cabinet Office; group director of comms, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and group director of communications, information services & design102, Ministry of Justice.
Tofield left Whitehall in 2021 to become executive director, communications, marketing and advancement, at the University of Sussex. Two years later she was appointed executive director of corporate communications and external affairs at the City of London Corporation. She stepped down from the role in January last year.
Tofield told In.Comms: “I moved out of purely traditional communications roles several years ago, and since then I’ve had the opportunity to work in senior leadership across government, higher education, local government, the media, and the not-for-profit sector, often leading multi-disciplinary teams and divisions.”
She added: “Ygam’s work has already made a difference to the wellbeing and resilience of millions, and it’s an exciting moment to join the charity as it looks to build its impact even further.”
Her focus will be on growth, “not just in numbers reached, but in how upstream prevention and learning are factored more deeply into our education system”.
The digital world is evolving quickly, and young people are encountering gaming, gambling and wider online pressures earlier than ever, she said. “The future is about building a sustainable, high-quality prevention model that keeps pace with the digital world and ensures every young person can grow up safe, informed and resilient.”
In terms of advice for those looking to make the move from comms to chief executive level, she said: “Don’t stay in your lane – continue to broaden your senior leadership experience, particularly at executive committee level, and step into roles beyond traditional communications.”