CMA adds ex-Amazon UK boss to board as provisional judgement in cloud probe nears

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has appointed former Amazon UK boss, Doug Gurr, to chair its board on an interim basis, as the deadline for the organisation to publish the provisional findings from its long-running investigation into the UK cloud market nears.

The UK competition watchdog confirmed on Tuesday 21 January 2024 that Gurr will replace current CMA chair Marcus Bokkerink, who has held the five-year position since 2022.

The reasons why Bokkerink has tendered his resignation for the role two years before the expected end of his tenure are unclear, but his departure comes at a time when the UK government is pushing regulators to take a more pro-growth approach to the work they do.

To this point, the CMA announcement about Gurr’s appointment states the news comes hot on the heels of a meeting between business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and the “country’s leading regulators” who were asked to “tear down the barriers hindering business and refocus their efforts on promoting growth”.

In a statement announcing Gurr’s appointment, Reynolds confirmed work is already underway to recruit a permanent replacement for Bokkerink. “The government has a clear plan for change – to boost growth for business and communities across the UK,” said Reynolds.

“As we’ve set out, we want to see regulators including the CMA supercharging the economy with pro-business decisions that will drive prosperity and growth, putting more money in people’s pockets.”

Gurr is the current director of the National History Museum and until November 2020 served as country manager of online retail giant Amazon UK.

“I am honoured to be asked to chair the CMA at this crucial time,” said Gurr in a statement. “I look forward to working with the strong leadership team to help deliver business investment and economic growth in a framework of effective competition and consumer protection.”

Gurr’s appointment comes days before the CMA is expected to release details of the provisional outcome of its long-running investigation into the cloud infrastructure services market, which includes scrutiny of whether Amazon’s cloud arm has indulged in anti-competitive behaviour.

However, while Gurr is joining the CMA as chair, it is know that the team overseeing the cloud infrastructure services market probe operates separately to the organisation’s board.

In response to the news of Gurr’s appointment, Nicky Stewart, senior adviser to the Open Cloud Coalition, said that with the CMA’s cloud market investigation entering a “critical phase”, it is important there is no deviation in the regulator’s commitment creating a more competitive cloud market.

“We urge the regulator to stay the course and take decisive action to create a fairer, more competitive cloud market that benefits businesses, consumers and the wider digital economy,” said Stewart.

“The cloud industry can only flourish when there is a level-playing field, and as outlined in our position paper, meaningful intervention is essential to unlocking innovation and investment across the sector.”

Computer Weekly contacted the CMA for a statement about whether Gurr’s appointment might leave the organisation open to conflict of interest accusations, but no public comment was forthcoming.