Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority: Chief Executive - Appointment

STATES OF JERSEY

JERSEY COMPETITION REGULATORY AUTHORITY: CHIEF EXECUTIVE - APPOINTMENT

Presented to the States on 7th December 2020

by the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

STATES GREFFE

2020  R.136

2

REPORT

Under Article 3(3A) of the Competition Regulatory Authority (Jersey) Law 2001 (the "Law"), the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture (the "Minister") is required to notify the States of appointments of members of the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (the "JCRA").

After consultation with the JCRA Chair, Ms Stephanie Liston, the Minister appointed Mr Tim Ringsdore to the Board of the JCRA under powers conferred by Article 3(1)(b) of the Law. The appointment is effective from 1st January 2021 and will expire on 30th June 2021. The appointment is subject to Mr Ringsdore's ongoing tenure as Chief Executive of the JCRA.

1. Background

States  Members  will  be  aware  that  since  1st  July  2020,  the  JCRA  functions independently under its own Board and staff, rather than working across the Channel Islands under the joint heading of the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities ("CICRA").

Shortly after the separation of the Authorities was announced, Mr Ringsdore was appointed to the role of interim Chief Executive of the JCRA, after having previously worked for the Authority as Director of Telecoms. As part of his role as Chief Executive, Mr Ringsdore is expected to sit on the Board of the Authority and the Minister made this appointment in August 2020 (R.83/2020).

Mr Ringsdore replaced Mr Michael Byrne as executive member on the Board of the JCRA. Mr Byrne previously served as the Chief Executive of both the JCRA and the Guernsey  Competition  and  Regulatory  Authority  (the  "GCRA").  Mr  Byrne's appointment to the Board of the JCRA however automatically came to an end as his appointment was subject to the continuance of the CICRA arrangement and his tenure as Chief Executive of both the JCRA and GCRA.

Mr Ringsdore's current temporary appointment to the Board of the JCRA is due to come to an end on 31st December 2020. The Chair of the JCRA has emphasised that Mr Ringsdore  has  made  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  Authority  during  his  interim appointment. In light of the need for continuity and renewed focus for the JCRA (following the separation of CICRA) and the commitment of the Authority to implement a new strategy with its new Board, the Chair has requested that Mr Ringsdore's temporary Board appointment is extended until 30th June 2021.

The JCRA has consulted the Jersey Appointments Commission regarding the requested extension of Mr Ringsdore's appointment to the Board of the Authority. The Chair of the Appointments Commission has accepted the proposal for a short-term extension until 30th June 2021, to allow for the recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive in accordance with the Commission's Guidelines.1 Mr Ringsdore will be eligible to apply for the role of permanent Chief Executive of the JCRA, should he wish to do so.

1 Jersey Appointments Commission, Guidelines for the recruitment of Senior States Employees, appointees and members of independent bodies (https://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Government%20and%20administration/P%20JAC%20recruiting%20gu idelines%20%2020160517%20MN.pdf).

R.136/2020

3

2. Recommendation of Mr Ringsdore

Mr Ringsdore has had over 20 years' experience in telecoms and dealing with regulatory matters within the Channel Islands, London, the USA and the British Virgin Islands. He ensured all the businesses he has been responsible for have remained compliant. This was  achieved  by  fully  understanding  a  variety  of  complex  regulatory,  legal  and competition law issues and building close working relationships with regulators.

Since returning to the Island in early 2018, Mr Ringsdore has been responsible for regulatory and competition matters for the JCRA as Director of Telecoms. As a result of the separation of CICRA, he was appointed interim Chief Executive to oversee the establishment of the new JCRA and is now working closely with his team and the new Board to develop short- and long-term strategic plans.

Mr Ringsdore has over 15 years extensive experience as a Managing Director, working at Board level across the Channel Islands, London and the Caribbean. This included working  with  various  regulatory  bodies  and  building  strong  relationships,  which resulted in positive outcomes for all parties.

Mr Ringsdore was Managing Director of Jersey Telecom and was pivotal in setting up Wave Telecom in Guernsey in 2002. He had responsibility for consumers and corporate clients across both Islands. Mr Ringsdore was also instrumental in developing Jersey Telecom's global business with the acquisition of Worldstone in 2012.

In the British Virgin Islands, Mr Ringsdore led Cable & Wireless as Managing Director. He had jurisdictional and overall financial responsibility for the Cable & Wireless business  and  was  responsible  for  developing  relationships  with  government,  the industry regulator and corporate clients. During this time, he successfully restructured and rebranded the business to help improve credibility and the customer experience.

As the JCRA's Director of Telecoms, Mr Ringsdore's focus has been on delivering strong results in support of the economic strategic objectives of the Government, helping to ensure that Islanders receive the best value, choice and access to high quality services in addition to promoting competition and consumers' interests.

3. Resource implications

The Office of the Chief Executive provides the Authority with an annual grant (core grant of £300,000 in 2020) to administer the Competition (Jersey) Law 2005.

Fees payable to JCRA Board members are sourced from the annual grant made to the Authority as well as from the JCRA's own accounts.

There are no other financial or manpower implications for the Government of Jersey.

R.136/2020