Former lawyer tipped to be new head of competition watchdog
Monday, 1 April 2019
Anna Rawlings is expected to be named as the new Commerce Commission chair in the coming days.
Stuff understands Rawlings, a former partner at law firm Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, will replace Mark Berry when he stands down after a decade in the role in May.
The appointment is made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi.
A spokesman for the Commerce Commission declined to comment.
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In recent days, Rawlings was described as the commission's 'chair' in a programme for a competition conference that the commission will host in Auckland in July.
According to her profile on the competition watchdog's website, Rawlings worked in the dispute resolution division of Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, 'where she specialised in contentious and non-contentious aspects of competition, regulatory and consumer law'.
She studied at the University of Auckland and the University of Toronto, focusing on law and economics. She joined the commission as a commissioner in June 2014 for a five-year term.