Jonathan Oxley appointed interim Ofcom chief executive

Jonathan Oxley is to step up as interim chief executive of UK comms regulator Ofcom when incumbent Sharon White leaves at the end of November.

Oxley is currently group director for competition and a board member at Ofcom and did not apply to become chief executive when the role first came available in June 2019, when White announced that she was to step down.

Almost immediately after becoming CEO in 2015, White took charge of the regulator’s review of the telecoms market which ultimately saw the legal separation of BT and Openreach. Oxley’s in-tray will include issues such as constructing priorities for the nationwide roll-out of gigabit-speed broadband, fostering the correct business environment for 5G services to grow in the UK, and enabling a new regulatory model governing more open access to Openreach’s ducts, poles and dark fibre.

Oxley said: “I am delighted the board has asked me to become interim chief executive. I’m looking forward to delivering on our priorities for people and businesses.”

Ofcom chairman Lord Burns added: “Jonathan is extremely well equipped to step up to provide important continuity for Ofcom and the sectors it regulates.”

The regulator said its process to appoint a permanent chief executive was ongoing, and it expected to announce an appointment after the General Election on 12 December.