Policy and Strategy

Back to top

General Counsel

The general counsel's office includes advisory lawyers, a know-how team, the litigation unit and the adjudication unit. Advice is given on matters including general public law, competition law, OFT's super- complaints, market investigation references, reviews of undertakings and orders, market studies, consumer policy and legislation and freedom of information. The litigation unit conducts most of the litigation carried out by the OFT in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the House of Lords and other courts. The adjudication unit is an independent inhouse decision making unit on Consumer Credit Act and Estates Agent Act fitness cases. The general counsel's office also provides advice on issues relating to corporate governance such as conflicts of interest and statutory authorisations.
General Counsel: Frances Barr
Directors: Peter Bennett, Sarah Berwick, Paul Gurowich 

Back to top

Chief Economist

The office of the chief economist is tasked with ensuring that the economic, statistical and financial analytic work carried out by the OFT is of high quality, represents state-of-the-art thinking, and plays a key role in ensuring that our activities have maximum impact in making markets work well for consumers. The team also leads on providing competition advocacy and review of impact assessments across government, and in evaluating the work of the OFT.
Chief Economist: Amelia Fletcher
Director: Matthew Bennett, Tony Donaldson

Back to top

Strategy and Planning

The role of the team is to provide focus for OFT strategy and to plan delivery and implementation of strategy throughout the OFT. This involves the definition, development, refinement and communication of strategy and its realisation through the actions of the OFT as covered in organisational and functional plans.
Senior Director: Claire Craig
Director: Noah Curthoys

Back to top

Policy

The policy group is primarily responsible for providing national and international intellectual leadership in relation to competition, consumer and markets issues. It does this by providing specialist competition, consumer and markets expertise to the case and project work of the OFT, ensuring that policy is properly translated into new legislation where appropriate, and undertaking policy projects designed to optimise the use of the OFT's regimes and the impact of its work.
Senior Director: Cavendish Elithorn
Directors: Colin Brown, Jackie Holland, Graham Winton

Back to: Structure