Ex Telco Commissioner Douglas Webb joins MGF Webb

Media Information
8 April 2008

Former Telco Commissioner Douglas Webb joins MGF Webb

Former Telecommunications Commissioner, Douglas Webb, has joined specialist technology and regulatory law firm MGF Webb as Senior Regulatory Adviser.

In his previous role as New Zealand’s Telecommunications Commissioner, Douglas was responsible for the implementation of the telecommunications regulatory regime.

Malcolm Webb, Partner at MGF Webb, says: “We are thrilled that Doug has chosen to join us. He is a key strategic addition to our regulatory team, with skills and experience in the area of economic regulation that are possibly unique in our market. Doug’s experience will prove immensely valuable to our regulatory clients in New Zealand, Australia and Asia.”

Douglas Webb says he is looking forward to his new role.

“MGF Webb has established a reputation as New Zealand’s leading regulatory law firm. My new role will be a great opportunity to work with the firm’s clients dealing with the increasingly prescriptive and sophisticated environment of economic regulation.”

ENDS

About Douglas Webb

From 2002 to 2007, Douglas served as New Zealand’s Telecommunications Commissioner and as a member of the Commerce Commission. His work included the resolution of interconnection and other access disputes between fixed line and mobile operators, the oversight of universal service obligations of Telecom New Zealand and providing policy advice to the Government on regulatory changes.

From 2000 to 2002, he was Managing Counsel and deputy to the General Counsel of The World Bank, Washington DC, USA. He was responsible for the management and administration of the Legal Department, comprising around 200 legal and support staff.

From 1993 to 2000, Douglas was Manager of the Legal Reform and Private Sector Division of the Legal Department at The World Bank, leading a legal team responsible for advising member governments on legal reform and institutional development, including the creation of independent regulatory agencies.

He was also previously Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, Asian Development Bank, Manila, the Philippines, and Partner with the law firms of Watts &Patterson and Rudd Watts & Stone, Wellington, New Zealand, practising primarily in the fields of telecommunications, corporate and banking law.

About MGF Webb
MGF Webb is a first-tier law firm, based in Auckland, serving clients in technology and communications transactions and in economic regulation and competition law. The firm aims to be one of the leading law firms in the Asia Pacific region in these areas. The firm’s regulatory clients include Vodafone, Air New Zealand, Vector, SingTel Optus, PCCW-Hong Kong Telecom, Digicel, The World Bank and the ITU.

MGF Webb lawyers apply specialist legal and economic experience to important and complex regulatory issues in network industries and in clients’ dealings with the Commerce Commission, Government, industry bodies and sectoral regulators. They also leverage on behalf of clients their experience and understanding of regulation and competition law across network industries and across jurisdictions.

ENDS

© Scoop Media