Former Facebook lobbyist joins UK comms regulator • The Register

Up to date A former Vice President of Public Coverage for Fb is among the many new faces to hitch the board at Britain’s telecoms regulator, Ofcom.

Lord Richard Allan was chosen by Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Expertise to develop into non-executive director for a four-year interval on November 1, the Division confirmed this week.

Allan shall be joined by Tamara Ingram, OBE, at the moment a non-executive director of Marks and Spencer Group and Chairman of the well being charity Bronchial asthma + Lung UK, who will function Deputy Chair.

The Division for Science, Innovation and Expertise (DSIT) says in its announcement that Allan has “practically 30 years of expertise in communications and know-how coverage,” and has been a member of the Home of Lords since 2010.

Though Allan was initially affiliated with the Liberal Democrats, DSIT says he has been “non-affiliated” since October 2 – presumably a requirement of taking on the submit.

Allan begun his profession with the NHS as a Methods Developer, however after a stint as a Liberal Democrat MP, he joined Cisco as Director of Public Coverage, then served at Fb for ten years as VP of Public Coverage within the interval earlier than Meta was formed as a brand new father or mother firm for the social media platform.

In line with his Wikipedia entry, Allan was answerable for representing the corporate and lobbying EU governments. He additionally “usually fronted awkward inquiries on behalf of the corporate’s executives,” in response to Buzzfeed News.

On this, he appears to have pre-empted the previous chief of the Lib Dems, the wildly unpopular Sir Nick Clegg, who grew to become Vice President of International Affairs and Communications for Fb in 2018.

Whereas a number of years have elapsed since Allan final labored for Fb, we’re unsure we’re completely snug with a former lobbyist for Zuckerberg’s panoptic platform sitting on the board of administrators of the group answerable for overseeing telecoms and media within the UK.

As Ofcom itself stated in an announcement, the Board “supplies strategic course to Ofcom and its government, which runs the organisation and solutions to the Board.”

The Reg requested each DSIT and Ofcom in the event that they have been in any respect involved about any potential battle of curiosity on this appointment. An Ofcom spokesperson instructed us: “Trade expertise is significant to sturdy regulation and our Board is made up of specialists from a variety of business, media, telecoms and tech backgrounds.”

In an announcement accompanying the appointment, Ofcom Chair Lord Grade stated: “Richard brings in depth expertise throughout know-how, telecoms and media, from a decades-long profession each in public life and the non-public sector. His contribution to the Board shall be invaluable and I stay up for working with him.”

Nevertheless, it is also seen as one other instance of the revolving door between business and regulatory our bodies that seems to be the norm in Britain, with poachers turning into gamekeepers, and vice versa.

In line with Ofcom, Allan at the moment holds non-executive board roles at New Automotive – which we assume is the transport research body fairly than a Sutton Coldfield used automobile dealership of the identical title – and advocacy group the Centre for Public Data, so being on the Ofcom board clearly is not anticipated to take up an excessive amount of of his time. Non-executive administrators obtain £42,519 ($55,194) each year in compensation, Ofcom states. ®

A DSIT spokesperson stated of appointment of Allan, who was made a baron and a life peer – giving him a seat within the Home of Lords, the higher home of UK Parliament – within the 2010 Dissolution Honours, “This appointment was made following an open course of in step with the Governance Code on Appointments.”