Ofcom names chief operating officer

Ofcom has appointed former Easynet managing director Jill Ainscough as chief operating officer. She replaces Ed Richards, who was promoted to chief executive last year.

Ainscough joins Ofcom on August 7 and will be responsible for its technology and spectrum operations, as well as the organisation, planning and development groups.

She left Easynet last year to take a career break having been managing director for two years. She was previously the company’s marketing director. Easynet was bought by BSkyB for £211m at the end of 2005.

Richards says: “I know Jill will make an excellent contribution to our important consumer and citizen-facing activities as well as to the effectiveness of the working practices of a lean regulator.”

Before joining Easynet, Ainscough was head of market development at NTL. She was also a business planner for the Cambridge Cable Group and a senior financial analyst for the Granada Group.