20/08    14 February 2008

The OFT today announced the appointment of three new members to its Board as non-executive directors and the re-appointment of an existing non-executive director. These appointments have been made under the Enterprise Act 2002 by the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, following consultation with OFT Chairman Philip Collins.

OFT Chairman Philip Collins said:

'I am delighted that the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform have made these appointments. The new non-executive members come from a diverse range of backgrounds and their experience will bring fresh insight to our Board discussions as we continue to deliver beneficial outcomes for consumers and drive the competitiveness and productivity of the UK economy.'

The new appointments are as follows:

James Hart has been appointed for a three-year term from 1 April 2008. He has spent most of his career in the police service, starting in the Surrey and Metropolitan forces and rising to become Head of the Diplomatic Protection Group, and latterly Commissioner of City of London Police. He now holds a small number of non-executive appointments and advisory positions.

Anthony Lea has been appointed for a four-year term from 1 April 2008. He is an economics graduate who has spent most of his career within what is now the Anglo American group, latterly as Finance Director which included responsibility for legal affairs and competition law compliance. He was a non-executive director of various companies in the group including AngloGold Ashanti, De Beers and Englehard Corporation and Terra Industries. He is currently Chairman of the World Mining Trust plc and a non-Executive Director of the British Standards Group.

Dr Philip Marsden has been appointed for a four-and-half-year term from 1 October 2008. He is a Canadian and English lawyer who has practised in Toronto, Tokyo and London, and who has also worked as an official in the Canadian Competition Bureau. He has a particular interest in competition and consumer policy and is currently the Director and Senior Research Fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London, with responsibility for its Competition Law Forum.

In addition, Lord Blackwell has been reappointed for a period of two years to start when his current term expires on 31 March 2008. Norman Blackwell is non-executive Chairman of Interserve plc and a non-executive Director of Standard Life plc and SEGRO plc. He is also an adviser to KPMG Corporate Finance, and Chairman of the Centre for Policy Studies. From 1995 to 1997 he was Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, following which he was Director of Group Development, NatWest Group, from 1997-2000.

NOTES

1. The OFT is a non-ministerial government department. It was established as a corporate body with its own Board under section 1 and schedule 1 to the Enterprise Act 2002 and those provisions came into force on 1 April 2003. The first members of the Board were appointed from that date for periods of four or five years.

2. Under the Enterprise Act 2002 Schedule board members are appointed by the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, after consultation with the Chairman of the OFT.

3. The OFT Board is principally responsible for strategic direction, policy, priorities and performance monitoring. All but the most significant operational and enforcement decisions are delegated to the executive management team, who are accountable to the Board.