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Tamara Ingram OBE and Lord Allan of Hallam join Ofcom Board

Published: 1 November 2024

The Government has today confirmed the appointment of Tamara Ingram, OBE, and Lord Allan of Hallam to the Ofcom Board. 

Tamara Ingram, OBE

Tamara Ingram cropped

Tamara Ingram will join the Board as Deputy Chair, appointed for a four-year term.

Tamara Ingram has had an extensive career across advertising, marketing, and digital communication spanning over 35 years. She has held several leadership positions in the creative industries and was Global Chair of Wunderman Thompson until 2020. She has also served as Global Chief Executive Officer of J. Walter Thompson, Chairman and CEO of Grey, and CEO of McCann Worldgroup and Saatchi & Saatchi in London.

She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Marks and Spencer Group plc and Chairman of the health charity, Asthma + Lung UK. She is also a Non-Executive Director at Intertek Group plc, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, and Marsh & McLennan Companies.

Tamara is also a business coach focussing on leadership. She was previously Chair of the fundraising committee for the Royal Court, and a Non-Executive Director of the Sage Group plc and Serco Group plc. She was awarded an OBE for her contribution to tourism as Chair of Visit London in 2012.

Ofcom does vital work ensuring the safety and inclusiveness of the communications services we all rely on. I am thrilled to be joining and look forward to working closely with the Board led by Lord Grade and the executive led by Dame Melanie Dawes.

Tamara Ingram

I am very pleased to welcome Tamara as our new Deputy Chair. Her many years of leadership experience will be of huge benefit as she joins myself and the other Board members in providing strategic direction to Ofcom.

Tamara’s long career in the creative industries will also further strengthen the Board’s expertise, and I am confident she will be an outstanding asset to the organisation.

Lord Grade, Ofcom Chair

Lord Allan of Hallam

Richard Allan cropped

Lord Allan of Hallam will join the Board as a Non-Executive Director,  appointed for a four-year term. 

Richard Allan has nearly 30 years of experience in communications and technology policy. He has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2010, initially affiliated with the Liberal Democrats. He has been non-affiliated since 2 October 2024.

He began his career with the NHS as a Systems Developer. He served as the MP for Sheffield Hallam from 1997 to 2005 and chaired the Information Select Committee. He then joined Cisco Systems as Director of Public Policy and later worked at Facebook (now Meta) for 10 years as VP of Public Policy, where he led over 70 policy experts across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Richard currently holds Non-Executive Board roles with New Automotive and the Centre for Public Data. His previous roles include positions with the European Digital Media Observatory, the Power of Media Taskforce, and the Sheffield City Trust.  

I have worked with and admired Ofcom throughout my career in politics and the technology sector and am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to their work as a member of the Board. I hope the experience I bring will help Ofcom have a significant positive impact as their remit expands to include online safety.

Lord Allan of Hallam

Richard brings extensive experience across technology, telecoms and media, from a decades-long career both in public life and the private sector. His contribution to the Board will be invaluable and I look forward to working with him.

Lord Grade, Ofcom Chair

About the Ofcom Board

Ofcom’s Board provides strategic direction to Ofcom and its executive, which runs the organisation and answer to the Board.

The Board has a non-executive Chair, executive members (including the Chief Executive), and non-executive members.

The Ofcom Board meets at least once a month (except August). Agendas, summary notes and minutes are published regularly on our website.

Notes to editors

  1. In accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.
  1. The Deputy Chair of the Ofcom Board receives £70,000 per annum.
  2. Non-Executive Directors of the Ofcom Board receive £42,519 per annum.
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