Elena Rossi, a career competition lawyer most recently at the ACCC, has been appointed to lead the Regulatory Authority for a five-year term beginning 1 July, bringing an end to a six-month acting arrangement.
Rossi's appointment was widely tipped inside the sector and was confirmed this afternoon by formal announcement. She succeeds outgoing chief Robert Hale, whose departure last October followed what the Authority described at the time as "a difference of view on priorities".
What comes next
Observers expect Rossi to move quickly on three fronts: rebuilding internal morale after a difficult year, resetting relationships with the large market participants the Authority regulates, and working through the backlog of cases that accumulated during the acting period.
In a short statement, Rossi said her priority in the first 90 days would be "listening — internally, and to the industries we oversee." A more detailed agenda is expected after her formal start date.