Colette Bowe named new Ofcom chair

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced Colette Bowe will replace David Currie as chairman of the UK communications regulator Ofcom.

Dr Bowe is currently Chairman of Council at Queen Mary College and has held a number of directorships in the private sector. She was the founding Chairman of the Telecoms Ombudsman Council,  the Ofcom Consumer Panel, and was a director of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, one of Ofcom’s many predecessors. She has been a member of the Ofcom Board since January 2008 and is a member of the Ofcom Audit Committee.

“Colette has the right mix of skills and experience for this role and I’m confident she also has the vision necessary to take Ofcom forward and tackle its future challenges,” commented Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.

Before she takes up the £200,000 a year, three-days-a-week appointment, Dr Bowe will be required to sit before the Business and CMS Select Committees, as is parliamentary procedure.

Lord Currie will step down early in 2009 after six years with the regulator.