Government seeks first female head for CMA

Sarah Cardell, the most senior lawyer at CMA, is believed to be one of the leading contenders, according to Financial Times, with the government keen to appoint a female chief executive.

Coscelli announced in January that he would step down after six years, but a delay in sourcing his successor has stalled because the government needs to appoint a permanent chair at the CMA.

Although the CMA has never had a permanent female chief executive, Vivienne Dews served as interim head of its predecessor at the Office of Fair Trading, prior to its dissolving in 2014.

Coscelli’s agenda focused on pursuing large-scale, transnational investigations against big tech, and FT reports Cardell is likely to continue in this vein.

However, some within the government desire a more business-friendly watchdog, which takes a less aggressive approach to big tech, the publication says.

Amelia Fletcher, non-executive director at the CMA, was considered a potential candidate for the chief role although did not apply because the “timing was not great for me for personal reasons”.

“Of course, it would be wonderful if it were filled by a woman, and there are many very talented female competition experts out there these days. But the key is to get a great person into the post”.