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Sonya Branch, Executive Director for Enforcement, is leaving the Competition and Markets Authority to join the Bank of England as its General Counsel.

Sonya has worked for the competition authorities in a variety of key roles since joining the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as a Senior Director in 2007. She was selected as Executive Director when the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was established in 2014, and has led the CMA’s enforcement activities during its first year of operation. Sonya was previously an Executive Director overseeing enforcement and mergers at the OFT.

Sonya leaves on 7 May, and the CMA will shortly be launching an open recruitment campaign to select her permanent replacement. In the interim, Ann Pope, Senior Director, Anti-trust, will take on Sonya’s board and management functions alongside her existing role. Ann will shadow Sonya in the role until taking over fully in May, leading the senior team which also includes Stephen Blake, Senior Director Cartels and Criminal, and Nisha Arora, Senior Director, Consumer.

David Currie, CMA Chairman, said:

Sonya has made a tremendous contribution in the CMA’s formative year. I am grateful for the experience and insight she has brought to the board table. We wish her every success in this significant new role at the Bank of England.

Alex Chisholm, CMA Chief Executive, said yesterday:

This has been a critical year for the CMA’s enforcement work, during which we have smoothly transitioned cases from the OFT, and reached a number of important case milestones – including today’s settlement in the property sales and letting investigation. Sonya has played a key role in establishing the CMA’s enforcement programme, championing new ways of working, overseeing the expansion of our cartel enforcement team, and building up a strong portfolio of casework.

Sonya Branch said:

It has been a hugely stimulating last few years contributing to the formation of the CMA, and I have been fortunate to work with so many committed and highly experienced colleagues. I am proud that the CMA’s Enforcement Directorate is in a robust position with a strong leadership and staff group, and with a significant pipeline of civil and criminal cases for the future. I am now very much looking forward to taking up my new role at the Bank of England.

Notes

1. See the Bank of England press release.
2. See Sonya’s career biography.
3. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and certain consumer law. From 1 April 2014 it took over the functions of the Competition Commission and the competition and certain consumer functions of the OFT. For more information see the CMA’s homepage.
4. For CMA updates, follow us on Twitter @CMAgovuk, Flickr and LinkedIn.
5. Media enquiries should be directed to Kasia Reardon (kasia.reardon@cma.gsi.gov.uk) on 020 3738 6901.