The Authority is made up of a Chair, a Deputy Chair, 3 full-time members and 2 associate members.
Members are appointed by the Governor-General. The minister may also appoint associate members.
The Authority makes its decisions at formal weekly meetings. It also works with our staff in committees that deal with:
- content and gambling matters
- telco consumer issues
- spectrum management.
The ACMA Code of Conduct for Authority members and associate members outlines the role of the Authority and the standards expected of members.
Authority members
Nerida O'Loughlin PSM, Chair
Appointed Chair 14 October 2017 for 5 years
Re-appointed as Chair from 14 October 2022 for 2 years
Re-appointed as Chair from 14 October 2024 for 3 years
Nerida O'Loughlin was appointed Chair and Agency Head of the ACMA on 14 October 2017.
Prior to joining the ACMA, Nerida was Deputy Secretary in the Australian Department of Communications and the Arts providing policy advice across telecommunications, broadcasting, online content and the arts. Nerida has also been responsible for major projects in the communications portfolio, including leading the Digital Television Switchover Program. Over her career, Nerida has also held senior positions in the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, predominantly across the technology and cultural sectors.
Nerida is also an Associate Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and has been reappointed until 13 October 2027.
In 2019, Nerida was awarded an Australian Public Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours for outstanding public service.
Carolyn Lidgerwood, Acting Deputy Chair
Appointed Acting Member 25 September 2023 to 13 October 2023
Appointed Full-time Member 16 October 2023 for 5 years
Appointed Acting Deputy Chair 11 December 2024
Carolyn Lidgerwood has worked in leading organisations for more than 30 years, specialising in broadcasting and data privacy law and compliance.
Immediately prior to being appointed as an ACMA Authority Member, Carolyn was for 12 years the Head of Privacy at Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest mining and metals corporation. Carolyn managed Rio Tinto’s data privacy compliance program across its global operations (which included more than 50,000 employees across 35 countries).
Carolyn was also General Counsel & Company Secretary at Southern Cross Media (then Australia’s largest regional commercial radio and commercial television broadcaster), and Special Counsel at Gilbert + Tobin Lawyers, where for more than 10 years she acted for clients in every part of the Australian broadcasting industry. In the early years of her career Carolyn worked at the former Australian Broadcasting Authority (joining the ABA on the same week that subscription television services commenced in Australia).
Carolyn has been a board member of iappANZ, and has previously served on the Privacy Committee and the Media & Communications Committee of the Law Council of Australia. Carolyn holds honours degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne.
Adam Suckling, Full-time Member
Appointed Full-Time Member 24 July 2023 for 5 years
Adam Suckling was until 2022 the Chief Executive Officer of Copyright Agency. Copyright Agency is a not-for-profit company that licences intellectual property on behalf of Australian writers, journalists, publishers, media companies and visual artists.
Prior to this, Adam has had over 20 years’ experience in a range of senior leadership, commercial, policy, regulatory and corporate affairs roles for companies such as Optus, Singtel (where he undertook an Asia-Pacific role based in Singapore), Foxtel and News Corporation.
In these companies, he ran significant business areas, provided strategic and commercial advice to board members, conducted a range of successful policy advocacy campaigns, and oversaw major copyright litigation and regulatory cases.
Adam is also a part-time Associate Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) appointed on 28 May 2024 to 24 July 2028.
Adam has policy experience across a wide range of areas including media and telecommunications policy, spectrum allocation, micro-economic reform, telecommunications network pricing, copyright and intellectual property policy, and Australian content and cultural policy.
Samantha Yorke, Full-time Member
Appointed Full-time Member 28 August 2023 for 5 years
Samantha is an accredited mediator, technology lawyer and policy advisor with over 24 years’ experience working within the digital media and technology sectors both in Europe and the Asia Pacific.
Prior to being appointed as an ACMA Authority Member, she worked in Google’s Government Affairs and Public Policy team leading their privacy, online safety, scam and mis/disinformation efforts in Australia.
Sam established the regulatory function at the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Australia, worked as General Counsel AUNZ and Legal Director for Yahoo! Asia Pacific and spent 10 years working for Microsoft in London where she supported the MSN business through a period of exponential growth and contributed to the launch of the Xbox gaming console across Europe.
Anna Brakey, Part-time Associate Member
Appointed on 6 May 2021 for 5 years or until the appointee ceases to be a member of the ACCC, whichever comes first
Anna Brakey was appointed a Commissioner of the ACCC in December 2020.
Anna has extensive experience in regulatory economics and public policy with over 25 years of experience working with regulators, government and within the private sector. She has had broad exposure to a wide range of infrastructure industries, including energy, water and transport. She has also worked on economic reform to social policy. Prior to starting at ACCC, Anna worked as an economist at Frontier Economics and held a number of roles at IPART, including being a deputy Tribunal Member, the Executive Director of Strategy and Economic Analysis and the Chief Operating Officer.
Anna chairs the ACCC’s Infrastructure Committee, Communications Committee, Electricity Markets Inquiry Board and East Coast Gas Market Board, and is a member of the ACCC’s Competition Exemptions Committee and Agriculture Board.
Anna holds a Bachelor of Economics from Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Catriona Lowe, Part-time Associate Member
Appointed on 19 June 2023 for 5 years or until the appointee ceases to be a member of the ACCC, whichever comes first
Catriona Lowe was appointed by the Governor General to the position of ACCC Deputy Chair for a 5-year term on 27 January 2023. On 19 June 2023 Catriona commenced as an Associate Member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Catriona chairs the Compliance and Product Safety Committee, and is a member of the Competition Exemptions, Consumer Data Right and Enforcement Committees and the Digital Platforms Inquiry, Financial Services Inquiry, Child Care Inquiry and Energy Markets Boards.
For over 20 years Catriona has had a strong commitment to consumer issues and protection of consumer rights in her varied roles as a regulator, litigator and consumer advocate.
Before joining the ACCC, Catriona was a Board Member of the Australian Energy Regulator from February 2020. She has also held a non-Executive director role on a range of boards, including the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Catriona was also principal of a consumer-focused consulting practice.
From 2006 to 2013, Catriona was Co-CEO of the Consumer Action Law Centre. She has also held senior roles with the Consumers’ Federation of Australia and the ACCC.
Catriona chairs the Compliance and Product Safety Committee, and is a member of the Competition Exemptions, Consumer Data Right and Enforcement Committees and the Digital Platforms inquiry, Financial Services Inquiry, Child Care Inquiry and Energy Markets Boards.
Over the years Catriona has worked extensively on matters involving consumer focused regulation, behavioural economics and effective enforcement and compliance. She has advocated for consumers across a range of markets including financial services, telecommunications and energy.
Catriona has a Bachelor of Laws from Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University).