These are our most senior leaders. They lead groups and teams at Ofcom.
Melanie Dawes
Chief Executive
Dame Melanie Dawes joined Ofcom as an Executive Board Member and Chief Executive on 2 March 2020.
Prior to joining Ofcom, Melanie was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2015-2020). She has held senior roles across the Civil Service, working in partnership across the public and private sectors.
Luisa Affuso
Chief Economist and Economics Group Director
Luisa Affuso is our Chief Economist and Economics Group Director, leading our economists who help to ensure our decisions are underpinned by expert economic analysis. She is also responsible for leading Ofcom’s work on Digital Markets.
Luisa has over twenty years’ experience in the application of competition, regulatory, and industrial economics. She specialises in applying economic and econometric analysis to complex competition and regulatory questions.
Martin Ballantyne
General Counsel and Legal Group Director
Martin Ballantyne is Ofcom’s General Counsel and Legal Group Director. He has been a Legal Director in Ofcom’s Legal Group since 2011, and provides advice for all policy areas within Ofcom, as well as overseeing litigation when our decisions are challenged in the courts.
Natalie Black
Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity
Natalie Black CBE joined Ofcom in 2024 as Group Director for Communications and Networks and Executive Board Member. She is also responsible for leading Ofcom's work on the implications of Artificial Intelligence.
David Chaplin
Director of Communications
David Chaplin is Ofcom’s Director of Communications, responsible for leading all external and internal communications across the organisation.
Before joining Ofcom in 2025, David was Director of Corporate Reputation at Sky, and previously worked at Which?, the NSPCC, and held various roles in politics and campaigns.
Kate Davies
Group Director for Strategy and Research
Kate Davies is Ofcom’s Group Director for Strategy and Research, leading its strategy and research work and engagement with domestic and international policymakers.
Kate joined Ofcom in 2016 working as both Strategy Director and Public Policy Director during that time. Prior to joining Ofcom Kate worked in the Treasury for six years in a range of Public Spending roles.
Oliver Griffiths
Group Director, Online Safety
Oliver is our Group Director for Online Safety and is responsible for Ofcom’s work to make life safer online. He joined Ofcom from the Trade Remedies Authority, where he was Chief Executive, and was previously responsible for UK-US trade negotiations in the Department of International Trade.
Oliver has served as a President of a FinTech start-up, was on the leadership team of the UK Green Investment Bank and held roles at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Business Department, after starting his career as a corporate lawyer at Freshfields. Since 2023 he has been a board member of the Global Climate Partnership Fund.
Jessica Hill
People, Culture & Workplace Director
Jessica Hill joined Ofcom in 2022 and has been People and Culture Director since February 2024. She has over 20 years’ experience delivering strategic HR in global professional services. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Cristina Nicolotti Squires
Group Director for Broadcasting and Media
Cristina Nicolotti Squires is Group Director for Broadcast and Media, leading Ofcom's work to support a healthy and vibrant broadcasting sector which serves all UK TV, radio and video on demand services in an ever changing and fast-moving landscape.
Melissa Tatton
Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Group Director
Melissa Tatton is Ofcom’s Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Group Director, overseeing our internal corporate functions, such as our Finance, Communications, People, Data, ICT and Governance teams and our Consumer Contact Centre.
Before joining Ofcom in September 2020, Melissa held a range of senior leadership roles at public bodies, most recently as CEO of the Valuation Office Agency and Tax Assurance Commissioner for HMRC. Melissa was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 2016.
Melissa is Vice Chair of Council at Queen Mary University of London.
David Willis
Group Director for Spectrum
David Willis is Group Director for Spectrum, responsible for leading Ofcom's work managing the UK's airwaves.
Prior to joining Ofcom in 2022, David spent 5 years with the Canadian spectrum regulator with roles leading the research lab, engineering team and international work. Prior to that held a variety of product leadership roles with telecom equipment vendors.
