Mark White has been reappointed as Groceries Code Adjudicator for
a further 3-year period.
About Mark White
Mark was appointed as the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) on 31
October 2020, after serving as the deputy GCA from July 2020. He
is also a Member of the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber)
and of the Lower Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) at HM
Courts & Tribunal Service where he is responsible for hearing
appeals against decisions from the Financial Conduct Authority
and the Ministry of Justice in a range of financial services and
claims management cases.
Prior to that, Mark was the Group General Counsel, Company
Secretary and Executive Board Member at Compass Group PLC. He was
also Group General Counsel Company Secretary and Executive Board
Member at Ferguson PLC (formerly Wolseley PLC), Enterprise Oil
PLC (now part of Royal Dutch Shell) and Rotork p.l.c. Mark was
also a solicitor at Eversheds Sutherland LLP (formerly Frere
Cholmeley).
Additional information
The GCA was established on 25 June 2013 by the Groceries
Code Adjudicator Act 2013. The GCA is appointed by the
Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
The GCA is responsible for regulating the relationships between
the UK's largest grocery retailers and their direct suppliers by
encouraging, monitoring and enforcing compliance with the
Groceries Supply Code of
Practice (the Code).
The Groceries (Supply Chain Practices) Market Investigation Order
2009 was introduced following a market investigation into the
dominance of the large supermarkets and includes a requirement to
comply with the Code. The Order and the Code are the
responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The GCA works with the designated retailers it regulates to
respond to issues raised by suppliers, trade associations and
other representative bodies. The GCA can arbitrate disputes
between retailers and suppliers, publish formal guidance and has
the power to launch investigations where there are reasonable
grounds to suspect that the Code has been breached.
The Government must review the performance and effectiveness of
the GCA every three years. A report on the third
statutory review, for the period from April 2019 – March 2022,
was published in July 2023. This review concluded the GCA to have
been a highly regarded and efficient regulator, and effective in
enforcing the Code over the review period. statutory review, for
the period from April 2019 – March 2022, was published in July
2023. This review concluded the GCA to have been a highly
regarded and efficient regulator, and effective in enforcing the
Code over the review period.
Mark White will continue as the GCA for a 3-year term following
on from his current term which ends on 30 October 2024. This
appointment is regulated by the Commissioner
for Public Appointments and has been made in line with
the Governance Code for Public
Appointments.
