GLAA appoints interim CEO

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has appointed Ziggy MacDonald as its interim chief executive.

Mr MacDonald will lead the foremost investigative agency for labour exploitation until a successor for Michael Rich is confirmed.

Having previously worked in various policy, strategy, finance and analysis roles across the Home Office since 2002, Mr MacDonald is an experienced executive within Government and the Civil Service.

More recently, he was Director of Windrush Lessons Learned Review and for the last few months has been on secondment to the GLAA as a Consulting Director.

Mr MacDonald will start as interim CEO from August 1.

He said: "It is an absolute privilege to be asked to take on the interim CEO role until a permanent successor is appointed. It is of course not quite what I expected to be doing, as I was due to finish my short secondment in a few weeks' time and return to the Home Office.

"I have had a strong relationship with the GLAA over many years and my immediate aim is to help provide the stability and leadership the organisation needs until a new CEO is appointed. I would like to extend my personal thanks to Michael for all the support he has given me while on secondment and for making it a very pleasurable experience.

"I'm also looking forward to working in partnership with colleagues both here at the GLAA and across other agencies to protect vulnerable workers and to help bring to justice those who criminally exploit people for their labour."

GLAA Board Chair, Margaret Beels, said Mr MacDonald’s appointment as interim CEO would provide stability and critical support for the organisation.

She said: “Ziggy has a proven track record of working within Government at a strategic level and his knowledge of this area will be enormously helpful.

“I know GLAA colleagues will give him their full support in helping us drive forward the agenda that we have all created - making the GLAA the very best that it can be, for the public, for the vulnerable and against the exploiters.”

An open recruitment process to select and confirm a permanent chief executive will be carried out over upcoming months.