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Marcus Bokkerink has been announced as the preferred candidate for Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today (Tuesday 31 May).

The CMA is a non-ministerial department responsible for enforcing competition and consumer law and carrying out investigations into mergers and markets. It has recently taken on new functions including the Office for the Internal Market (OIM). The Chair works with the board to set the overall strategic direction, provide strong leadership and develop a positive culture for the board and organisation.

Mr Bokkerink has 30 years of experience advising corporate executive teams and boards on strategies to build competitive advantage and harness digital technologies with a particular focus on industries that interact directly with consumers.

He retired in December 2020 as Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and since leaving BCG as Senior Partner Emeritus he has focused on investing in start-ups and challenger brands and mentoring the entrepreneurs who lead them. He has also worked as a Senior Advisor to BCG and a strategic advisor to a small number of corporates. He chairs the Development Board of Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

Marcus will make an excellent addition to the CMA team, bolstering its work to promote competition and innovation to help grow our economy and ensure the best deals for consumers. There are many opportunities on the horizon and his appointment will help us to seize them.

Marcus Bokkerink said:

The CMA is a leader among its peers in promoting effective competition and protecting consumers. I am delighted to be asked to work with the outstanding team there and the Board to help it fulfil its expanded responsibilities.

The announcement follows an open competition for the role. The Business Secretary has invited the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing and to report on Mr Bokkerink’s suitability for the post. This is in line with the government’s commitment to strengthen the role of Parliament in scrutinising major public appointments.

Pre-appointment hearings enable select committees to take evidence from preferred candidates for major public appointments before they are appointed. Hearings are in public and involve the select committee publishing a report setting out their views on the candidate’s suitability for the post. Pre-appointment hearings are non-binding, but ministers will consider the committee’s views before deciding whether to proceed with an appointment.

Following the implementation of AssetPlus, the YJB commissioned an independent evaluation into the outcomes of AssetPlus, the approved, standardised framework for assessment and review of children in the justice system.

The YJB is pleased to publish the AssetPlus outcome evaluation and welcome the challenge and opportunities for continuous improvement that it offers.

Although there were areas where data collection made it difficult for the independent researchers to draw conclusions, there were four main findings, these were that:

• the time taken to complete an AssetPlus assessment is not proportionate to risk and need
• there is limited evidence that AssetPlus has an impact on promoting a child’s strengths and protective factors
• there is some evidence that AssetPlus has an impact on improving compliance with sentences and supervision
• AssetPlus did not have an impact on community safeguarding and public protection incidents or more appropriate use of remand

These findings have been considered alongside known strengths of the AssetPlus framework, including those found in the evaluation, such as the ability to effectively transfer cases between services and the secure estate, and its evidence-based and holistic approach.

These have been fully considered and the following conclusions drawn and actions committed to:

1. AssetPlus provides clear and unique advantages for children on statutory orders in relation to promoting safeguarding, enabling consistency, avoiding duplication and effective information transfer. It therefore remains the standard framework for use in statutory cases.
2. It is acknowledged that, for children subject to out-of-court disposals and diversion programmes, the current AssetPlus framework does not appropriately meet their assessment needs.
3. The YJB will work with colleagues across the sector to develop a standard, appropriate and proportionate tool for the needs of children subject to out of court disposals and diversion programmes.
4. The YJB will work to better align AssetPlus to the principles of Child First, improve the navigation of the framework making it easier and less resource intensive to use.
5. The YJB will consider how AssetPlus can better align with family support and early help assessments.

We look forward to working with youth justice professionals and wider partners to continue to improve AssetPlus to ensure children receive the best possible assessments to support their needs and enable positive outcomes.

Keith Fraser, YJB Chair, said:

This evaluation shows that AssetPlus provides clear advantages for children on statutory orders. Its approach to safeguarding, consistency, avoiding duplication and information transfer cannot be found in any other framework.

However, there are also areas where AssetPlus ‘must’ improve. This is critical if we are to support children and practitioners as well as oversee improvements to the youth justice system.

In collaboration with key Civil Service partners, Brindha will continue to build the GPA’s security strategy and capability across its collective security status of all assets, software, hardware, services, networks and information. Key to this is personnel and infrastructure security.

Brindha brings more than 20 years experience from across Whitehall, including several high-profile security roles.

Steven Boyd, CEO at the GPA, said: “As the Government’s delivery body for its office and warehouse portfolios, it’s crucial our security standards are at the highest level. With the evolving needs to the way we all work, it’s imperative all civil servants across the UK are protected across digital and physical environments. Brindha’s strategic security experience coupled with her Civil Service knowledge are key to the GPA delivering safe and secure working environments.”

Brindha said: “I am extremely pleased to be leading the GPA’s security strategies and delivery across digital and physical environments. The GPA is creating great places to work for civil servants across the UK. A crucial part of this is ensuring our assets – both physical and digital – are safe and secure for everyone. The GPA is transforming the way we work and I am proud to be playing a key role in this.”