Appointments to the Board of the Utility Regulator
Date published:
Finance Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has appointed a new Chair to the Board of the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (the Utility Regulator) and a new board member.
Rosamund Blomfield-Smith, who has extensive experience of utilities, will serve over a seven-year term as chair of the board, commencing on 1 October 2024.
Isolde Goggin, who has over 20 years’ experience in regulatory roles, will also serve on the board from 1 October 2024 for seven years.
The Minister said: “The Utility Regulator plays an important role in safeguarding and promoting consumer interests in relation to electricity, gas, water and sewerage in the North. I am delighted to appoint a new Chair and member to the Board of the Utility Regulator and wish them every success in their new roles. Their experience will be valuable in achieving the Board’s role of setting the overall strategic direction, to ensure our consumers benefit from quality and value for money services in the industries the Utility Regulator regulate on our journey to net zero.”
Notes to editors:
- The Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (the Utility Regulator) is the non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the electricity and gas industries and water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland, to protect the short and long-term interests of consumers.
- Rosamund Blomfield-Smith was previously director responsible for utilities (electricity, gas and water) corporate finance at both Rothschilds and ING Barings, and for the past 20 years has had a non-executive ‘portfolio’ career. She has served on a wide variety of boards including the National Rivers Authority (the predecessor body to the Environment Agency); Natural England (where she served on the main board and also chaired the government’s Landscape Advisory Panel); the Museum of London Archaeology, latterly as chair; the Ofgem non-executive Challenge Group, on which she served for a total of five years; Thames Water; and Moat Homes (a substantial – 22,000 unit) housing association, which she chaired. Rosamund lives in Herefordshire where she and her husband rear rare breed cattle, sheep and pigs. Rosamund does not hold any other public appointments in Northern Ireland.
- Isolde Goggin has over 20 years' experience working at the highest level in telecommunications regulation, competition policy and consumer protection. She was Executive Chairperson of Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission from 2014 to 2021 and, prior to that, chaired one of its predecessor organisations, the Competition Authority, from 2011 to 2014. She was a Commissioner of ComReg, the Irish Commission for Communications Regulation, from 2002 to 2006, and Chairperson from 2004 to 2006. From 1996 to 2002 she was a Member of the Competition Authority. An engineer by profession, Isolde is currently President of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), which exists to inform and thereby shape the global policy agenda for the ICT and digital ecosystem. Isolde is also a member of the Board of Trinity College, Dublin, and of the Consumer Advisory Group of the Central Bank of Ireland. Isolde does not hold any other public appointments in Northern Ireland.
- The appointments were made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s Code of Practice.
- These appointments are part time roles attracting an annual remuneration of:
• £39,023.25 for the Chair; and
• £11,538.45 for the member. - All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Rosamund Blomfield-Smith has declared that she has canvassed, or helped at elections, on behalf of the Conservative party within the past five years. Isolde Goggin declared that she had not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.