UK: CLARE SPOTTISWOODE - A PRAGMATIC APPROACH.

Until her battle with British Gas over pipeline transmission charges, Clare Spottiswoode, director-general of Ofgas, would not have ranked as the most prominent or controversial regulator. But by taking on British Gas in such an aggressive, no-nonsense way, she has dispelled any notion that regulators should maintain a cosy relationship with the companies they oversee.

An unusual career path

If there is such a thing as a typical regulator, he or she has spent long years in the civil service or the academic world.