DATE: WEDNESDAY, 17TH APRIL 2024
VENUE: Allens, Deutsche Bank Place, Level 28, 126 Phillip St, Sydney
TIME: 12.30 PM – 2.30 AEST
Light lunch served from 12.30 pm.
On 23 August 2023, the Government announced a Competition Review, to consider whether competition law in Australia remains fit for purpose in Australia’s modern economy. The Review is being undertaken by a Competition Taskforce within Treasury, supported by an Expert Advisory Panel. The first issue that the Taskforce has consulted on is merger reform, an area where the ACCC has long urged the Government to take action.
The speakers at this event will consider the likely changes to Australia’s merger control laws, with an emphasis on the implications of those changes for the digital and telco, media and technology markets.
Join us for an engaging session with our speakers, networking opportunities, and a light lunch.
Confirmed Speakers
Marcus Bezzi – Chief Advisor, Competition Taskforce, Commonwealth Treasury
Marcus is Chief Advisor to the Competition Taskforce established to undertake the Government’s Competition Review.
Marcus was an Executive General Manager (EGM) at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) between 2009 and mid-2023. He was most recently responsible for the ACCC’s Specialist Advice and Services Division. Between 2009 and July 2021 Marcus had various roles heading enforcement at the ACCC, most recently he was responsible for specialist competition investigations, cartel investigations and enforcement. Marcus oversaw the establishment and development of the ACCC’s criminal cartel program.
Marcus has a background as a government and private sector lawyer. He was General Counsel at the Australian Communications and Media Authority and a Senior Executive Lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor for ten years. Before joining the Attorney General’s Department in 1991, he had five years as a lawyer in private practice.
Rod Sims – Member of the Competition Review Expert Advisory Panel
Rod Sims AO is a Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, Canberra; Chair of the Superpower Institute, a non-profit organisation dedicated to Australia moving quickly to, and benefitting from, the transition to net zero emissions; Chair of Opera Australia, Australia’s largest performing arts company; Chair of the Competition Research Policy Network at the Centre for Economic Policy Research, Paris; and Chair of Australia’s National Data Advisory Committee. He is also an Expert Adviser to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority on digital platform issues.
From 2011-March 2022 Professor Sims was Chair of The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Prior to that he had a range of senior corporate positions, including on Boards based in Australia, the UK and Singapore, and advising many major Australian companies on corporate strategy issues. He has also worked in the Australian Public Service including as the Deputy Secretary in charge of all domestic policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, one of three positions working to the Head of that Department. From 1988-1990 he was the Principal Economic Adviser to Australia’s Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
Stephen Ridgeway – Commissioner, ACCC
Stephen Ridgeway was appointed a Commissioner of the ACCC in June 2019.
Stephen brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as a lawyer in the private and public sectors. He is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading competition and consumer lawyers and an expert in the field. In 2018 Stephen retired as a senior partner at King & Wood Mallesons.
Early in his career, Stephen acted for the ACCC and its predecessor, the Trade Practices Commission, in enforcement litigation as a senior lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitor. After joining private practice in 1998, Stephen had extensive involvement in merger clearance applications in a wide variety of industries. He also had extensive experience in regulatory enforcement actions, including a number of landmark ACCC enforcement matters.
During 2011 and 2012 Stephen was National Chairman of the Competition and Consumer Committee of the Law Council of Australia, and led consultations with the ACCC and Treasury about policy and enforcement matters. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia from 2016 to 2018.
Stephen chairs the ACCC’s Mergers Review Committee, and is a member of the ACCC’s Enforcement Committee. On 1 March 2022 Stephen also commenced an appointment as an Associate Member of the New Zealand Commerce Commission.
Stephen holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University.
Michelle Lim – Telecommunications Industry Expert
Michelle Lim has over 23 years of regulatory and commercial experience in the Australian and overseas telecommunications markets. Her and her industry team actively contributed to the ACCC inquiry process for two of the largest mergers experienced in recent times in the Australian telecommunications sector.
Michelle has been championing regulatory reforms and competition policy for open, innovative and diverse industries to continually improve economic and consumer outcomes. She has significant experience in complex multilateral and bilateral agreements.
Her prior roles include; Chair of Commpete, the Industry Alliance for Competition in Digital Communications and Director of Communications Alliance. In her personal time, Michelle volunteers on the board of Telsoc, the Australian telecommunications learned society. She is currently consulting part-time as Executive Director at Commpete.
Michelle holds both a Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from University of Technology Sydney, as well as a Macquarie Graduate School of Management Diploma. Michelle has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors program.
The discussion will be moderated by
Carolyn Oddie – Partner, Allens
Carolyn is a leading competition and regulatory lawyer with more than 25 years’ experience advising on competition and consumer issues in Australia and overseas. She advises clients on complex merger clearances, joint ventures, collaboration arrangements and conduct issues under the restrictive trade practices provisions and the Australian Consumer Law.
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