Doug Gurr
Permanent chair of the Competition and Markets Authority since February 2026.
Doug Gurr has chaired the Competition and Markets Authority since February 2026, arriving after six years running Amazon's UK and China operations. He put his name to the regulator's 8 September findings on the £400bn public procurement system's impact on high-growth firms.
Last refreshed: 22 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Doug Gurr
Fronted the CMA's procurement report as chair
UK Startups and Innovation: CMA asks who £400bn procurement buysBackground
Doug Gurr became permanent chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in February 2026, a five-year appointment following a year as interim chair from January 2025. He also directs the Natural History Museum, a post he has held since 2020.
Before regulation, Gurr trained at McKinsey & Co for six years short of partner, founded logistics firm Blueheath (later sold to Booker Group) and sat on Asda's board. Amazon recruited him in 2011; he ran its China business from 2014 to 2016, then led Amazon UK as country manager and global vice-president until 2020.
Gurr's Amazon career shaped the scrutiny that followed his appointment: MPs and trade unions have questioned whether a former Amazon executive can hold the ring on competition policy while the CMA is also tasked with backing the government's growth agenda for scale-ups. Gurr put his name alongside chief executive Sarah Cardell's to the CMA's 8 September 2026 procurement report, which asked whether Britain's roughly £400bn public buying system reaches high-growth suppliers.
