Barney Wyld - Communications Director

Name: Barney Wyld
Job: Communications Director
Team: Communications
Joined OFT: 2007

It wasn't an easy decision to leave Fishburn Hedges, the PR consultancy where I was a director and a company judged by the Financial Times as the third-best place to work in the UK. But the lure of being the decision-maker rather than the advisor was strong, as was the chance to work in an organisation where communication is so fundamental to the mission.

From the outset, I've been impressed by the depth of the OFT's ambition to secure significant benefits for consumers and the economy. The colleagues I've worked with in my first few weeks in the job are clearly passionate about rooting out anti-competitive behaviour and empowering consumers. That kind of enthusiasm is infectious.

Our remit in Communications is to influence the behaviour of businesses and consumers in a way that helps make markets work well. We support teams right across the organisation in achieving their goals, so we need to stay on top of the full sweep of our activities. One day we might be announcing we've busted a major international cartel and imposed millions of pounds of financial penalties. The next we could be working with our local authority Trading Standards partners on a campaign to warn consumers about mass-marketed scams. All the time, we have to ensure our communication is carefully targeted, proportionate and legally watertight. It's a fascinating challenge.

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