Commissioner Cristina Cifuentes will leave the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on 3 July 2020 after more than seven years in the role, which she held concurrently with nine years as a board member of the Australian Energy Regulator.

Ms Cifuentes was appointed as a Commissioner of the ACCC in May 2013 for a five-year term and then reappointed in 2018.

“Cristina has been one of Australia’s leading infrastructure regulators for a long time and has made an outstanding contribution to the ACCC and AER, and played a large role on the international stage in relation to a wide range of regulatory issues,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.

“Perhaps even without even realising it, Australians have benefited immensely from Cristina’s extraordinary breadth of experience and knowledge, particularly in the energy, transport, telecommunications and finance sectors.”

“Cristina’s experience and mix of skills has been invaluable in shaping many of the ACCC’s key decisions.”

During her time at the ACCC, Ms Cifuentes chaired the ACCC’s Communications and Infrastructure committees, which oversee the ACCC’s regulatory role in key infrastructure in areas such as fuel, telecommunications, wheat ports, rail, and water.

Mr Sims says Ms Cifuentes’ contribution will be greatly missed by many across the ACCC and AER.

“Cristina has also been a champion for women and people from cultural and linguistically diverse communities within the ACCC and AER and a mentor to many,” Mr Sims said.

“All of us at the ACCC and AER wish Cristina the very best for her future endeavours both professionally and personally,” Mr Sims said.

Ms Cifuentes will also step down from her roles as an Associate Member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority and as Australia’s delegate to the OECD Network of Economic Regulators.

Background:

Before joining the ACCC, Ms Cifuentes held a number of directorships, including with the Hunter Water Corporation, First State Super Trustee Corporation and NSW T Corp. Her career has spanned both the public and private sectors, including positions at the Reserve Bank of Australia, the New South Wales Treasury and the Australian Securities Commission. She was a tribunal member of the NSW IPART between 1997 and 2006.