The DRCF was formed in July last year to harness the collective expertise of its members – the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Ofcom to ensure strong regulation of online services.

Whitehead (pictured) will take up the new role on 15 November. She will bring insight from a career that has spanned the broadcast and digital media sector, having previously worked for Google, Channel 4 and the BBC. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and started her career as an economist for the Bank of England and then Deloitte.

Whitehead was most recently a member of Google’s UK Management Group, leading specialist teams in data science, analytics, measurement and UX, and she previously led Google’s consumer and market insights function across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Before joining Google in 2016, she spent eight years as a member of Channel 4’s executive team, where she created and led its data strategy and audience technologies & insight division.

As chief executive of the DRCF, Whitehead will lead the collective expertise of its members to ensure the digital landscape is regulated effectively, efficiently and coherently, and will oversee the delivery of the forum’s established action plan. She will be in charge of the secretariat formed by each of the regulators and work closely with their CEOs to develop joined-up approaches, thereby ensuring that regulatory policy is developed in a responsive and holistic way.

Commenting on the appointment, Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom chief executive and chair of the DRCF said, “I’m delighted to have Gill on board as the forum’s chief executive. Her expertise and insight will be invaluable as we shape the regulatory landscape for the UK’s digital economy. This will be a pivotal role in bringing us together to tackle our shared challenges and secure a safer life online for everyone.”