Ygam CEO receives Outstanding Alumni Award from Nottingham Trent University

Ygam CEO, Dr. Jane Rigbye, has been recognised by Nottingham Trent University for her outstanding work and contributions to public health and the prevention of gaming and gambling harms.

The University’s Outstanding Alumni Award was established to acknowledge and celebrate individuals who have made significant contributions to their research fields and wider society. Jane was presented with the honour by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Edward Peck at a ceremony on Tuesday 12 December.

The award serves as recognition for Jane’s extensive and impactful career working over sixteen years in her professional field. Jane graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Nottingham Trent University, in 2004. Her subsequent PhD on ‘Barriers to Treatment Access for Young Problem Gamblers’ was the first of its kind and led to a role at GamCare in 2010, where she set the foundation for nationwide educational programmes around gambling harms by establishing BigDeal. In 2013, Jane qualified as a chartered psychologist and worked at GambleAware for nine years in several senior leadership roles including Prevention Director.

By 2019, Jane had been appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health. Jane was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ygam in January 2022 and has overseen a period of increased growth, reach and impact.

Dr Jane Rigbye, Ygam CEO, said:

“It is truly unexpected and delightful to be honoured as a recipient of the NTU Outstanding Alumni Award. I graduated from both my undergraduate and PhD studies at NTU, but I never dreamt I might be invited back one day in recognition of my achievements. However, this recognition is not about my individual efforts; it is also recognition of the work undertaken by many dedicated colleagues over the last two decades to prevent harms due to gaming and gambling. It has been my ambition to mainstream the prevention and treatment of gambling harms, ensuring parity of esteem alongside other addictions, and together we are making significant progress. Being given this award in recognition of my own contribution to public health and the prevention of gambling harms is good evidence of this much needed shift being driven by this sector.”

Jane received her award alongside other notable individuals, including Jermaine Jenas – television presenter, football pundit and former professional footballer – who received an honorary degree.

Nottingham Trent University has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK. The university is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses.