The 21^st International Competition Network (ICN) Annual Conference was held in Berlin, Germany from 4 to 6 May 2022. The ICN is an important network of competition authorities worldwide and comprises 140 national and multinational competition agencies from 130 jurisdictions. The Annual Conference is the focal point of the year where the global competition community gets together to share experiences and discuss competition policy and enforcement issues.

Mr Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive of the CCCS was a speaker at the Agency Effectiveness Working Group (AEWG) plenary session titled “How the pandemic has changed agencies’ investigative processes”. Specifically, he shared how CCCS overcame the challenges faced by its officers in carrying out its investigation processes remotely, while maintaining a cohesive and co-ordinated approach between the officers working on a particular case.  The session was moderated by Mr Anton Dinev, Counsel of Grimaldi Studio Legale (Brussels), Belgium. Other speakers on the panel include Ms Brenda Gisela Hernández, Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Economic Competition Commission, Mexico, Mr Rikard Jermsten, Director General of the Swedish Competition Authority and Dato’ Jagjit Singh, Commissioner of the Malaysia Competition Commission.

Mr Raymond Ng, Senior Assistant Director of the CCCS moderated the AEWG break out session titled “Gathering and using information for effective strategic planning”. During the interactive session, the speakers and the audience exchanged experiences on the practical challenges and useful tips in gathering information and assessing the relevant information gathered for their agencies’ strategic planning. The speakers on the session include Mr Jesus Espinoza, Director (Investigation and Promotion of Free Competition, Indecopi, Peru), Mr Baethan Mullen, General Manager (Economics & International Branch, Australia Competition and Consumer Commission) and Ms Aurélie Zoude-Le Berre, President of the New Caledonia Competition Authority.

At the ICN-World Bank Group Competition Advocacy Contest Awards Ceremony, CCCS received the award for its submission titled “Collaborations between Competition and Personal Data Protection Agencies” which was selected as the winner under the theme “Spreading the benefits of the digital economy” in this year’s contest. The contest is organised by the ICN and the World Bank Group to highlight the key role competition agencies, sector regulators and other governmental bodies or non-governmental organisations play in promoting competition by showcasing their advocacy success stories.

CCCS is a co-chair of the AEWG. Its mission is to identify key elements of an effective and efficient competition agency, and develop best practices for agency strategy, planning, operations, investigative tools and procedures. For more information, please visit https://www.internationalcompetitionnetwork.org/working-groups/agency-effectiveness/

https://www.cccs.gov.sg/media-and-consultation/ccs-campaigns/events/cccs-participates-in-21st-icn-annual-conference-in-berlin