PhonepayPlus appoints Patrick Guthrie as Director of Strategy and Communications
PhonepayPlus, UK the premium rate services (PRS) regulator, today announced that Patrick Guthrie has been appointed Director of Strategy & Communications, following a comprehensive recruitment process. Patrick replaces Bradley Brady and has responsibility for the regulatory development, research and market intelligence, and communications functions at PhonepayPlus.
Patrick joins the regulator after ten years at Her Majesty’s Treasury, where he worked on EU policy issues, led a comprehensive review of gambling taxation in light of technological and regulatory changes, and spent the last four years as the senior civil servant in charge of the Treasury’s Asset Freezing Unit. Patrick brings extensive experience of developing strategy and policy at the centre of Government and he has a strong track record of working collaboratively with industry to deliver effective outcomes. As Head of the Asset Freezing Unit, he worked closely with the financial sector to strengthen the UK’s terrorist asset freezing regime and also to ensure effective implementation of international financial sanctions against countries like Iran and Libya.
PhonepayPlus’ Chief Executive, Paul Whiteing, commented: “Patrick joins us at an exciting time, just over a month after the implementation of our new Code of Practice and industry-wide Registration Scheme. Although we are pleased with the progress so far – we now have nearly 3,000 organisations fully registered – there is still a great deal of work to do in terms of bedding-in the new regulations. I believe that Patrick, with his wealth of experience as a senior civil servant working with industry to achieve positive results, will be integral in helping us do that.”
Patrick Guthrie said: “I am delighted to be joining PhonepayPlus at this important time, with the opportunity to build on the recent successful launch of the new Code and the Registration Scheme. I look forward to working closely with Paul, Joanne (Prowse) and the rest of the team at PhonepayPlus and also with the industry, consumer groups, Government and other partners, to deliver our vision of premium rate services that consumers can have total confidence in.”