Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan has named the permanent heads of the Bureaus of Competition, Holly Vedova, and Consumer Protection, Samuel Levine, both of whom had already been in the roles in an acting capacity.
The Competition Bureau head could be a more prominent post as the FTC considers whether, and more likely how, to start vetting more Big Tech mergers. The FTC recently rescinded its guidelines on vetting some mergers, with an eye toward toughening them up.
Vedova has been with the agency since 1990, most recently (before named acting head of the bureau in June), as an attorney advisor to commissioner Rohit Chopra, who is exiting the agency to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Before that, she was a staff attorney in the Competition Bureau investigating mergers.
Levine had also been in Chopra's office as an attorney adviser and before that worked for the Illinois attorney general.
“As permanent directors of the FTC’s enforcement bureaus, their mission will be to guide this agency as we work to safeguard fair competition and check unfair or deceptive practices,” Khan said. “I look forward to continuing our work together.”
