Gill Whitehead has been appointed chief executive of the Digital Regulators Cooperation Forum (DRCF), the new body overseeing the regulation of the UK's digital economy.
As CEO, Whitehead will lead the DRCF’s members, which include the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Ofcom, in ensuring the UK’s digital landscape is “regulated effectively, efficiently and coherently”.
She is set to begin her tenure on 15 November.
Prior to being appointed CEO of DRCF, Whitehead had been a senior director of Market Insight and Client Solutions & Analytics at Google for four years, having left the company in 2020. Her role included leading Google’s specialist teams in data science, analytics, measurement and UX. Over the span of her 23-year career, she has also worked for the Bank of England, Deloitte, the BBC, Channel 4, Informa, and the British Olympic Association.
Commenting on the announcement, Ofcom chief executive and DRCF chair Dame Melanie Dawes said that she is “delighted to have Gill on board as the forum’s chief executive”.
“[Whitehead’s] expertise and insight will be invaluable as we shape the regulatory landscape for the UK’s digital economy. This will be a pivotal role in bringing us together to tackle our shared challenges and secure a safer life online for everyone,” she added.
RELATED RESOURCE
According to the UK’s Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, Whitehead’s role “is vital to ensure digital regulation is coordinated for the future”.
“The forum will benefit from her experience and we are looking forward to working with her and all the regulators involved to create a clear approach,” she said.
The news of Whitehead’s appointment comes 16 months after the DRCF was officially formed with the aim of using the collective powers of the UK’s four regulators in order to “enable coherent, informed and responsive regulation of the UK digital economy”.
In a statement, Whitehead said that she “look[s] forward to building a coherent and coordinated approach to digital regulation that is good for people using online services, and for business and innovation”.
“We’re at a critical juncture in establishing a digital regulatory framework that ensures UK citizens can benefit from the best that technology has to offer whilst being protected from the worst,” she added.
-
ICO admits it's too slow dealing with complaints – so it's eying up automation to cut staff workloadsNews The UK's data protection authority has apologized for being slow to respond to data protection complaints, saying it's been overwhelmed by increased workloads.
-
“Limited resources” scupper ICO probe into EasyJet breachNews The decision to drop the probe has been described as “deeply concerning” by security practitioners
-
Surge in workplace monitoring prompts new ICO guidelines on employee privacyNews Detailed guidance on how to implement workplace monitoring could prevent data protection blunders
-
TikTok could be hit with £27m fine for failing to protect children's privacyNews Social media firm issued with a notice from the ICO for potential violations of UK data protection laws
-
What is AdTech and why is it at the heart of a regulation storm?In-depth The UK data regulator has come under heavy fire for consistently delaying much-needed action, privacy groups say
-
ICO crackdown on AI recruitment part of three-year vision to save businesses £100 millionNews ICO25 outlines a fresh approach that involves releasing learning materials, advice, and a new ICO-moderated discussion forum for businesses
-
Clearview AI fined £7.5m over improper use of UK dataNews Australian facial recognition firm collected 20 billion images from the internet without consent in order to build its database
-
UK data watchdog cut IT spending by £1.2 million during pandemicNews The ICO’s IT budget has been slashed by around 23% since 2019
