The CAA Consumer Panel membership brings together strategic thinking and outstanding analytical aptitude and the ability to apply these in a practical way to improve the experience for commercial air passengers.
Keith Richards, Chair
Keith is a barrister, arbitrator and commercial mediator. He has served as an independent member and non-exec director on regulatory bodies in a variety of sectors and specialises in professional/industry self-regulation, consumer rights and alternative redress. He previously served as Head of Business and Professional Development and Consumer Affairs at the travel industry body ABTA. He was a Member of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Consumer Affairs Panel and served as its Deputy Chair for a while. Keith is Chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) having previously served for nine years as Chair of the DPTAC International Working Group covering Aviation and Maritime. For many years he served as Senior Campaigns Lawyer at Which?, and as legal editor of the journal Consumer Policy Review.
Sarah Chambers
Sarah is an expert in regulation, competition and consumer policy. She was Chief Executive of Postcomm, the postal services regulator, and held various senior roles in the Department of Business Innovation & Skills (including Director of Consumer & Competition Policy) and the Department of Energy & Climate Change. She is currently a Panel Member and non-executive director of the Competition & Markets Authority, and has a number of other public appointments and non-executive roles.
Ann Frye
Ann is an independent international specialist on the transport needs of disabled and older people. She advises governments, public, commercial and professional bodies on sustainable policy solutions to meet mobility needs in all transport modes, including aviation. She has worked in this field for over 25 years primarily in the UK Government Department for Transport where she led a major programme of research, policy and legislation on disability and other equality issues. Ann is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and is a Visiting Professor at University College London.
Steven Gould
Steven is a specialist in regulation, consumer protection and strategic policy development. Having led the regulatory function of RICS - the world's leading built environment professional body - for 14 years, Steven retired from full time employment in 2014. Before joining RICS, he had previously worked for Which? and also in government. He currently holds two other non- executive roles; the first on the General Chiropractic Council and the second as a Trustee of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - a charity responsible for standards, public protection and education in domestic renewable energy. His previous non-executive roles include membership of the government's Better Regulation Commission, Director of Ombudsman Services Ltd, and membership of a number of professional conduct panels and advisory committees on governance and conduct.
Robert Laslett
Robert is an independent economist who retired in 2012 from being Executive Director at the Office of Fair Trading. He is member of the Independent Governance Committee of Zurich Insurance, a member of the Council of the Pensions Policy Institute, a visiting senior lecturer at University College London, a volunteer adviser at Citizens Advice, and chair of the board of On Our Radar, a non-profit company undertaking citizen journalism. He was Chief Economist for Pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions, headed the London office of economic consultancy Charles River Associates, and worked as a country economist and risk specialist at the World Bank.
Trisha McAuley OBE
Trisha is an independent consumer expert and an experienced Non-Executive Director. For over twenty years, until 2014, she was a senior executive in UK and Scottish consumer organisations, and is the former Scottish Director of Consumer Futures. She was awarded an OBE for services to consumer affairs in 2015. She has been an influential public policy leader, working effectively with parliaments, governments, regulators, business and public services at strategic level.
Trisha is currently the Chair of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership. She is also a Board Member of Northern Ireland Water, A Board Member of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland Discipline Board, a Member of the Ofgem Gas Network Innovation Competition Panel, a Member of the Ofgem Consumer Progress Panel, a Member of the Office of the Rail and Road Regulator Consumer Expert Panel, and a Member of the Heathrow Consumer Challenge Board.
Adam Scorer
Adam is a committed campaigner for consumers and has had a varied career across many consumer welfare organisations including as Director of Consumer Futures at Citizens Advice, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Consumer Focus and the Director of Campaigns at energywatch. Adam is currently the Director of Policy at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and a member of the Independent Oversight Panel for WATRS, the water industry ADR scheme.
Anthony Smith
Anthony is the Chief Executive of Transport Focus. Having qualified as a solicitor, Anthony worked for five years as principal consumer lawyer for Which? This was followed by a year as the legal consultant for Consumers International, a worldwide federation of consumer groups. Prior to joining Passenger Focus, Anthony was deputy and acting director of ICSTIS, the regulator of premium rate telephone services.
Claire Whyley
Claire is a professional researcher and policy analyst, focusing on consumer behaviour and decision-making, consumer protection and consumer-focused regulation. She specialises in user-led, evidence-based and impact-focused policy development, across a range of markets, with a particular interest in vulnerable and excluded consumers. She has delivered a number of research projects focussing especially on people with low or unstable incomes and customers in arrears. She recently completed a multi-sector review of best practice in debt collection and recovery looking, in particular, at preventative pre-arrears strategies to support consumers to avoid serious financial difficulties and a study of local authorities' council tax collection practices. Claire is also a member of a number of other Boards and Consumer Panels, including the Advertising Advisory Committee, the Finance and Leasing Association Lending Code Board, and is a Trustee of the Money Advice Trust. Claire previously completed two terms as a member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel and was Deputy Director of Policy at the National Consumer Council.