Ofcom Research Head Joins Board

In the UK, media watchdog Ofcom has named Peter Phillips, Partner of Strategy and Market Developments, as a member of its Executive Board with effect from 1 July 2008. The regulator also announced that Chairman David Currie will step down next year.

Phillips joined Ofcom in 2006 with responsibility for its strategy, policy development, consumer policy, and market research teams.

Previously he was Director of Business Development at the BBC, leading the sale of BBC Broadcast in 2005. Earlier posts included Chief Operating Officer at BBC News and BBC Head of Corporate Planning. Before that he was an Investment Banker in the mergers and acquisitions team at SG Warburg (now UBS) and a Senior Manager in the strategy consulting firm Bain & Company. He has a degree in Mathematics from Oxford University.

Earlier this year, Phillips appointed Jonathan Thompson as Ofcom's Director of Strategy.

Ofcom says its Board Chairman Currie will step down next Easter. He became the regulator's first Chairman in July 2002 and will have served two terms.

In other Ofcom news this week, the body is set to fine Barclaycard for 'persistent misuse' of call centre automated dialling systems resulting in an unacceptable number of 'silent calls' to residential numbers between October 1 2006 and May 10 2007. Ofcom can fine companies up to £50,000 and has penalised other high profile names Abbey, Carphone Warehouse and Toucan amounts between £30,000 and £35,000. Barclaycard have until July 21 to respond formally to the complaint, but said in a statement that the charge 'relates to an historic issue which we decided to address independently of the Ofcom investigation and has now been resolved'.

Web site: www.ofcom.org.uk .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.