Competition and Markets Authority announces next wave of senior appointments
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today announced its second wave of Director level appointments.
These include senior management positions in the Enforcement Directorate and Markets and Mergers Directorate, and senior legal and economic advisory positions in the offices of the General Counsel and Chief Economic Adviser.
Three senior directors are appointed in the Enforcement Directorate, reporting to Sonya Branch, Executive Director of Enforcement:
- Nisha Arora, Senior Director, Consumer Enforcement
- Stephen Blake, Senior Director, Cartels and Criminal Group
- Ann Pope, Senior Director, Anti-Trust
Five appointments are made in the Markets and Mergers Directorate, reporting to Dr Andrea Coscelli, Executive Director of Markets and Mergers:
- Daniel Gordon, Senior Director, Markets
- Dr Michael Grenfell, Senior Director, Sectoral Regulation
- Nelson Jung, Director, Mergers
- Rachel Merelie, Group Director, Markets and Delivery
- Sheldon Mills, Senior Director, Mergers
Five appointments are made in the Office of the General Counsel, reporting to Sarah Cardell, General Counsel:
- Carole Begent, Senior Legal Director, Markets and Mergers
- Claudia Berg, Senior Legal Director, Enforcement
- Jason Freeman, Director, Consumer Law
- Roland Green, Deputy General Counsel and Senior Legal Director, Policy, Precedent and Procedure
- Simon Jones, Director, Litigation
Four appointments are made in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (CEA), reporting to Dr Mike Walker, CEA:
- Kate Collyer, Economics Director, Markets and Mergers
- John Kirkpatrick, Senior Director, Research, Intelligence and Advocacy
- David Roberts, Group Director, Remedies, Business and Financial Analysis
- Chris Walters, Economics Director, Enforcement
CMA Chief Executive Alex Chisholm said:
With today’s appointments we build further vital blocks across the leadership structure of the CMA and I am delighted with the quality of the candidates we have chosen.
These roles will all play a leading part in setting the direction of the organisation and enforcing its priorities when we open for business next April.
Today’s announcement follows on from last week’s corporate and support services appointments and the earlier appointments of the CMA Board and Senior Executive Team. The final director level appointments will be made in the coming weeks.
For more information on the CMA click on its homepage or follow us via our Twitter account @CMAgovuk and LinkedIn page.
Notes for editors
1.Media enquiries to be directed to Kasia Reardon on 0207 211 8901 or Rory Taylor on 0207 271 0242.
2.These appointments were made through fair and open competition and in accordance with Civil Service Commission recruitment principles.
3.Biographies (in the order they appear above):
Senior Director, Consumer Enforcement - Nisha Arora is currently Senior Director in the OFT’s Services, Infrastructure and Public Markets Group, in which she previously served as a Director. Prior to joining OFT in 2011, Nisha served as a senior legal adviser in the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills, and the Cabinet Office. She trained as a solicitor with Denton Hall.
Senior Director, Cartels and Criminal Group - Stephen Blake is currently Senior Director in OFT’s Cartels and Criminal Enforcement Group, in which he previously served as Director of Cartels. Stephen has held a number of positions in the OFT since joining in 1998 as a competition lawyer, including a secondment to the European Commission’s cartels unit. Prior to this Stephen practised as a solicitor in the City.
Senior Director, Anti-Trust - Ann Pope has been Senior Director in OFT’s Services, Infrastructure and Public Markets Group since July 2012. Having trained as an economist, she has over 20 years’ experience in the OFT and has held a number of senior positions since 2006. Over the last few years Ann has specialised in running CA98 investigations.
Senior Director, Markets - Daniel Gordon is currently Chief Economist at the CC. He joined the CC from Ofcom, where he was Director of Competition Policy. Prior to that, Daniel was at the OFT, where he first led the Market Studies Programme, before becoming Senior Director with responsibility for infrastructure markets. His early career was with the Treasury and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Senior Director, Sectoral Regulation - Dr Michael Grenfell joins the CMA from Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, where he has specialised in competition law for 25 years, including for the past 15 years as a Partner and a period as Head of the firm’s London Competition Group. Michael has also been an active member of the Competition Law Committee of the City of London Law Society and chaired its Working Group on the UK competition law reforms currently being implemented.
Director, Mergers - Nelson Jung is currently Director and Head of Mergers in the OFT, having previously served as Director of Competition Enforcement. Prior to joining OFT in 2010, Nelson worked at Clifford Chance, where he served as a senior associate specialising in mergers and other competition cases.
Group Director, Markets and Delivery - Rachel Merelie has been Senior Director, Inquiries at the CC since 2007, having previously served as an Inquiry Director. In her earlier career, Rachel managed business planning and strategy for Ernst & Young and the transition to Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, worked for Gemini Consulting as a management consultant and held a variety of roles in the electricity industry.
Senior Director, Mergers - Sheldon Mills is currently the OFT’s Senior Director of Policy and Procedural Adjudicator having formerly served as Director of Mergers for 3 years. Sheldon is a qualified solicitor and served as a senior associate in King and Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin and associate in Jones Day in his earlier career.
Senior Legal Director, Markets and Mergers - Carole Begent is currently Deputy Chief Legal Adviser and Head of International at the CC, where she has served as a legal adviser since 2000. Carole previously held legal advisory and policy roles at the sectoral regulators ORR and Ofwat, having trained as a solicitor at Beechcroft Stanley.
Senior Legal Director, Enforcement - Claudia Berg is currently Director of Competition Enforcement and Head of the OFT’s Enforcement Academy. Prior to joining OFT in 2010, Claudia spent 8 years in the competition practice of Linklaters. Her early legal training was with prominent law firms in Germany and Brussels.
Director, Consumer Law - Jason Freeman is currently Legal Director and Project Director at the OFT, where he has served in a number of roles since 2005. Jason has a particular specialism in UK consumer law. He joined the OFT following practice at the Bar.
Deputy General Counsel and Senior Legal Director, Policy, Precedent and Procedure - Roland Green has been Chief Legal Adviser at the CC since 2010. Previously Roland held a variety of senior legal roles in BERR, DECC, DTI and the Home Office. While at DTI he specialised in competition law, and was instrumental in the development of the Enterprise Act 2002.
Director, Litigation - Simon Jones has been a Legal Director at the CC since 2008 having joined the CC in 2001. He has advised on a wide range of merger, market and regulatory inquiries and has led the CC’s defence in numerous actions in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, High Court and Court of Appeal. Before joining the CC he ran a public law, commercial and regulatory litigation practice at the Treasury Solicitor’s Department, having first trained as a solicitor with Slaughter & May.
Economics Director, Markets and Mergers - Kate Collyer has been Director of Economic Analysis at the CC since 2012, having rejoined the CC after 4 years as Director of Economics at the Cooperation and Competition Panel of the Department of Health. Kate’s early career was as an economic consultant with Lexecon Ltd.
Senior Director, Research, Intelligence and Advocacy - John Kirkpatrick is currently Director of Policy and CMA Transition Lead at the CC. John has served as an Inquiry director at the CC and Director of Studies & Policy at the Audit Commission. His early career was with McKinsey & Co and the Department for Education and Employment.
Group Director, Remedies, Business and Financial Analysis - David Roberts is currently Chief Financial & Business Adviser and Head of Remedies at the CC, which he joined in 2002 from J Sainsbury, where his roles included Director of Corporate Finance and Group Treasurer. He previously worked for BP and qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells.
Economics Director, Enforcement - Chris Walters is Chief Economist at the OFT, where he has held a number of senior economist positions since 2007, joining from the CC. In his early career Chris was an academic and economic consultant.
4.The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act which creates the CMA received Royal Assent on 25 April 2013. The new unified Authority will bring together the CC with the competition and certain consumer functions of the OFT and will be responsible for promoting competition for the benefit of consumers. The CMA will bring about significant benefits to business and consumers, including greater coherence, flexibility, speed and transparency in the operation of the competition regime.
5.The CMA was legally established on 1 October 2013 and will assume its full powers from 1 April 2014. As a shadow body it is currently recruiting and making the necessary preparations and decisions to enable it to assume its responsibilities next year.