Press release

CMA appoints to new senior cartel role

The CMA has further strengthened its Cartels and Criminal Group (CCG), with the appointment of a new director.

CMA logo

Keith Foggon has been appointed to the newly created role of Director of Digital Forensics and Intelligence.

Keith’s main responsibilities will be to develop the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) digital forensics and intelligence capabilities further, supporting case and project teams working across the CMA’s cartels, wider competition, consumer and markets work. This digital forensics and intelligence function will advance the CMA’s conduct of internet investigations and the capture and review of digital evidence, for example, in the context of dawn raids.

Keith formerly headed the digital forensics function at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Sonya Branch, CMA Executive Director of Enforcement, said:

Keith’s appointment will further build the CMA’s range of intelligence and investigative capabilities and depth of expertise in this fast-developing and crucial aspect of our enforcement. Keith brings with him an exceptional level of experience, such as having been the architect of the FCA’s current digital forensics and intelligence function.

Additionally, in the new year, we will be advertising for and recruiting a further number of enforcement roles. This underlines our determination to increase the number, speed and effectiveness of the cartel investigations we pursue and to continue developing as a world class enforcement agency.

Keith will join the group’s senior leadership team, reporting to Stephen Blake as Senior Director of Cartels and Criminal. The group reports to Sonya Branch, Executive Director of Enforcement.

The CMA will be advertising its additional enforcement roles from January 2015 on the Civil Service Jobs website.

Notes for editors

  1. Keith Foggon comes to the CMA from Navigant Consulting which he joined in July after heading up the digital evidence function at the FCA. Prior to the FCA, Keith was Head of the Digital Forensic Unit at the Serious Fraud Office.
  2. Today’s appointment follows the recent appointments of David Harper and Emma Lindsay as Directors in CCG.
  3. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law. From 1 April 2014 it took over the functions of the Competition Commission and the competition functions (and certain consumer functions) of the Office of Fair Trading.
  4. Anyone who has information about a cartel is asked to call the CMA cartels hotline on 0203 738 6888 or email cartelshotline@cma.gsi.gov.uk. The CMA operates a rewards policy under which it may pay a financial reward of up to £100,000 in return for information which helps it to identify and take action against illegal cartels.
  5. Under the CMA’s leniency policy a business that has been involved in a cartel may – in certain defined circumstances – be granted immunity from penalties or a significant reduction in penalty in return for reporting the cartel and assisting the CMA with its investigation. Individuals involved in cartel activity may also in certain defined circumstances be granted immunity from criminal prosecution for the cartel offence under the Enterprise Act 2002.
  6. Media enquiries to be directed to Kasia Reardon (kasia.reardon@cma.gsi.gov.uk, 0203 738 6901).
  7. For information on the CMA see our homepage, or follow us on Twitter @CMAgovuk, Flickr and LinkedIn. Sign up to our daily email alerts to receive updates on Competition Act 1998 and cartels cases.
Published 5 December 2014