Press release

New appointments made to Office for Internal Market Panel

The Department for Business and Trade has today announced the newest members to the Office for the Internal Market Panel

The Department for Business and Trade has today announced the appointment of seven new members to the Office for the Internal Market (OIM) Panel.

The OIM was set up to support the effective operation of the UK internal market, advising the UK government on how specific laws, rules and regulations impact the market.

These appointments will support the OIM Panel Chair, Murdoch MacLennan, to deliver a trusted source of expert and independent advice and reporting to the four governments and legislatures to help ensure frictionless trade between the four nations. The panel will have a wealth of expertise and knowledge to provide effective insight relating to the operation of the UK internal market in different parts of the UK.

The appointed panelists are:

Angharad Butler, Stephen Gifford, Shane Lynch, Michael Neilson, Professor Suzanne Rab, Dr Timothy Render, Professor Andreas Stephan.

Minister for Exports Lord Offord, said:

These appointments to the OIM Panel, under the leadership of Murdoch MacLennan, will ensure that the OIM is able to carry out its important work and demonstrates this government’s ongoing commitment to an effective internal market that works for the benefit of business and consumers throughout the UK.

Chair of the Office for the Internal Market Murdoch MacLennan said:

I am delighted to welcome the OIM Panel on board and am very impressed with the quality of these appointments. The Panel members have a wealth of experience from across the UK, and I very much look forward to working with them.

Notes to editors:

  • Full panel details click here
  • The OIM is part of the Competition and Markets Authority. The statutory objective of the OIM is to support, through the application of economic and other technical expertise, the effective operation of the internal market in the United Kingdom (see Part 4 of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (‘the Act’). 
  • The Panel members will form task groups which will provide advice and guidance to assist the OIM in delivering its functions.
  • If authorised by the CMA to carry out functions on its behalf, OIM task groups must act independently of the CMA Board. 
  • Mr MacLennan was appointed as the first Chair of the OIM in 2022.
Published 30 November 2023