PwC's Luisa Affuso named Chief Economist of Ofcom

15 August 2018 Consultancy.uk

The UK’s communications watchdog has named a PwC Director as its new Chief Economist. Luisa Affuso joins Ofcom having worked for the consultancy for the past six years, but will now play a leading role in the economic analysis of the regulator.

Ofcom is the communications regulator in the UK, and covers TV, radio and video-on-demand sectors, fixed-line telecoms (phones), mobiles and postal services, on top of the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. Like organisations across the business and social spectrum, the ombudsman is presiding over an era of rapid change, with improving instant broadcast capacities revolutionising the way that the public interact with communications – to the extent that Ofcom recently estimated that people living in Britain spend an average 24 hours a week online.

In order to properly understand the impact of this constantly evolving relationship between individuals and the media, the watchdog needs to have access to a roster of top talent, and to that end Ofcom has now announced that Dr Luisa Affuso has been appointed as its new Chief Economist as of the 8th of October, replacing Ofcom’s outgoing Chief Economist Peter Culham, who is retiring. Affuso will join Ofcom from PwC, having joined the professional services giant in 2012. Most recently she was handed the title of Director at the Big Four firm, leading the Competition & Disputes practice within PwC's economic consulting team in London. In this capacity, Affuso has advised on a number of high-profile competition policy matters, covering UK and international markets and including cases relevant to the sectors Ofcom regulates.

Prior to her spell with PwC, Affuso consulted for a range of organisations including economic consultancies, the World Bank and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). On top of this, Affuso – who holds an MSc and PhD in Economics from the University of Warwick, and a postgraduate diploma in European Competition Law from Kings College London – enjoyed a successful academic career, working at the University of Cambridge and London Business School.

Commenting on the new challenge, Affuso said, “I am very excited to be joining Ofcom. Communications markets are extremely important both for the performance of the economy, and in people’s everyday lives. I look forward to making a positive contribution to ensuring they work well for everyone.”

Sharon White, Ofcom Chief Executive, added, “I am delighted to appoint Luisa. The Chief Economist plays an important role at Ofcom, helping to ensure our decisions are underpinned by expert economic analysis. Luisa brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the role, and we look forward to welcoming her to Ofcom. I would also like to thank Peter Culham for his significant contribution to Ofcom during his time here.”