When businesses collude on recruitment, they risk breaking competition law – and the consequences are serious. This might include agreeing not to poach staff, fixing wages, or coordinating on working conditions.
The CMA recently investigated sports broadcasting and production companies that colluded on rates of pay for freelance workers. This resulted in fines of £4.2m. Subsequently, the CMA has released new guidance on competing for talent.
In this online session, you’ll hear directly from the CMA on lessons learnt from the case and gain a detailed overview of the new guidance.
Speakers
Dan Rawling, CMA Director, Competition Enforcement
Dan Rawling is a Director in the Competition Enforcement team at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and led its investigation into anti-competitive behaviour relating to freelance labour in sports production and broadcasting. Dan has worked in competition enforcement, consumer protection and economic regulation for 17 years, including at the Office of Fair Trading, the Payment Systems Regulator and the Bank of England. Dan was formerly Director of Policy & International at the CMA and a Director in the CMA’s Covid-19 Taskforce.
Sharon Horwitz, CMA Legal Director, Policy & Practice
Sharon Horwitz is a Legal Director in the Policy & Practice team at the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), where she brings extensive expertise in competition law, policy and sectoral regulation. She joined the CMA in 2014, following her role at Ofcom, where she advised on key regulatory issues in the spectrum and postal markets. Prior to Ofcom, Sharon worked at Postcomm and had a brief tenure at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in the Cartels and Criminal Enforcement Group.
Her legal career began at Linklaters, where she spent 14 years as counsel in the Competition/Antitrust group, advising on complex competition matters across various sectors.
Learning objectives
SRA Competencies A1
- Understand how competition law applies to recruitment, wage setting and hiring practices
- Spot and avoid anti-competitive behaviours - including no-poaching, wage-fixing, and the exchange of sensitive information
- Recognise where collective bargaining fits within legal boundaries
- Learn best practices for internal policy, compliance, and training to reduce legal risk
Who should attend?
- Private practitioners working in competition law
- In-house practitioners working in competition law
