Press releases
18 September 2006
OFT Appoints New Director for Consumer Direct
The OFT is pleased to announce the appointment of Christine Cryne as the new Director for Consumer Direct, the telephone and online consumer advice service.
Consumer Direct has 350 trained advisers in 11 contact centres in England, Scotland and Wales. The advice service, which is delivered in partnership with local authority trading standards, has taken over 2 million calls since its launch in 2004, helping consumers resolve complaints worth an estimated £138 million.
After gaining a degree in Chemical Physics and Mathematics from the University of Reading, Christine held a number of commercial and marketing posts in the private sector before joining Help the Aged in 1994, becoming Director of Marketing in 1997. In 2001, she became Executive Director of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign before being appointed Chief Executive of the Institute of Marketing in 2005.
Christine is a former director of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, and is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. She replaces Adrian Walker-Smith who has retired from the OFT, and will report to Christine Wade, Assistant Chief Executive, Consumer Advice and Trading Standards.
