Get to know the UKRN Expert Panel – Suzanne Rab

Have you ever wondered who the UKRN Expert Panel are? The UKRN Expert panel consists of four independent advisors who hold expertise in different fields. The Expert Panel advises the CEOs groups and provides vital feedback and challenge to the project teams.

We hope this series of articles allows you to get to know them better. In this article, we are featuring Professor Suzanne Rab!

Professor Suzanne Rab is a barrister at Serle Court Chambers. She has over two decades of wide experience of regulation, EU and competition law matters combining trade, cartel regulation, commercial practices, IP exploitation, merger control, public procurement and subsidy control.

Suzanne is a Professor of Commercial Law and holds the Practice Chair at Brunel University, London, a law lecturer at the University of Oxford and Visiting Professor at Imperial College (specialising in IP and antitrust).

Suzanne is a non-executive board member and member of the audit and risk committee of the Legal Aid Agency. She is also a non-executive board member of the Press Recognition Panel and an expert panel member of the Office for the Internal Market.

  1. Tell me a bit about yourself

I am first and foremost a lawyer, currently a barrister specialising in regulatory and competition law. I combine my barrister practice with a range of other complementary roles. These include public sector non-executive roles with the Legal Aid Agency, Press Recognition Panel, and the Office for the Internal Market.  As a law professor I also teach at a number of UK universities including Brunel University London and Oxford University. I am a musical theatre enthusiast but more recently the courtroom is the closest I get to performing.

  1. What attracted you to UKRN?

I applied to join UKRN in late 2020 against the challenges for public health and the economy in dealing with COVID-19 and some uncertainty over the UK’s future relationship with the EU and other trading partners. I was attracted by the potential impact that UKRN could make in supporting regulators to remain robust and responsive in what were and continue to be uncertain economic times.

  1. What achievement has given you the most pride in your career? And also in your time at UKRN?

Transferring to the Bar in 2013 in my early 40s. I had every intention of becoming a barrister quite early on. I joined Lincoln’s Inn as a student member in 1993. I started out as a solicitor heeding the advice of some (well-meaning) people that the Bar was not a place for me due to my non-traditional background. But I continually reassessed my career path. A combination of encouraging soundings among peers and a motivation to develop my advocacy practice prompted me seek to fulfil my original ambition but I did so after reaching partnership in a law firm. Some people said it was a ‘bold move’ (read ‘slightly crazy’). Over a decade on, I have not looked back and am as professionally and personally fulfilled as I ever have been.

  1. What 3 words best encapsulate regulation for you?

Integrity, governance and standards.

  1. What 3 words best describe you away from the day job?

Loyal, passionate, positive

  1. What is your favourite film and why that choice?

The Sound of Music (1965 film). It was the first feature film I saw as a child and I never tire of watching the onscreen version. I am an only child and probably the seven von-Trapp children represent the siblings I did not have. Anyone who knows me could probably describe my love of this film as an obsession. I have grown up with it and played (most) of the female characters in amateur productions as I have aged (OK, not Mother Abbess yet…).

  1. What 3 countries/places have you enjoyed visiting the most and why?
  1. Provence, where I improved my French and which I love for the people, the quality of life, the food and the picturesque landscapes.
  2. Saudi Arabia, where I have experienced great hospitality and been made to feel very welcome. I find the melange of a youthful population, vision for the future and rich cultural heritage both fascinating and inspiring.
  3. The Caribbean (various) for adventures. On a business trip to Grand Cayman, my colleagues and I were grounded in Nassau, Bahamas following an emergency. Time was short to get to our final destination and we chartered a private plane with a few hours to spare. It was a nine-seater Cessna 208. I sat in the cockpit watching the pilot communicate with air traffic control on his iPad. I still feel quite sick thinking about it!
  1. What advice would you give to your younger self?

My advice comes from experience of working in very different professional environments over different stages in my career including law, economics and strategy: 1) accept that you may not be able to ‘have it all’ at one time and you will need to make choices, 2) start networking early on, 3) be kind to others and yourself as building resilience will be necessary to get you through the tough times, 4) don’t be afraid to promote yourself, and 5) remember what got you to where you are today and try to make things better for the next generation. Finally, manage your finances. Good financial management shows that you can be trusted and it is key to keeping your options open.

  1. When your career is nearing completion or you get to retire – what 3 words would you like your career to be remembered by?

Made a difference.

We really hope you enjoyed getting to know Suzanne more. Look out for our next featured expert panel member shortly!