Osborne Clarke announces two appointments to the ABA Antitrust Law Section's International Cartel Task Force

Thomas Funke, Partner and head of the competition practice in Germany, has been re-appointed to the Section's International Task Force which deals with legislative proposals around the globe. In his role on the leadership team of the Task Force, Thomas recently contributed to the ABA position on the future European rules on vertical restraints.

Thomas advises on antitrust litigation, competition compliance, distribution and merger control. As lead counsel in German and EU Commission antitrust investigations, Thomas has represented key players from the automotive, energy, banking and technology sectors. Thomas has been recognised as a leading expert for the EU competition framework for the motor vehicle sector and his experience includes cartel damages litigation before the European Court of Justice and the German Supreme Court. Thomas also serves on the Advisory Board of the ABA's Global Private Litigation Committee, which focuses on international cartel damages disputes.

Harikumar Pillay, Counsel at Singapore-based OC Queen Street has been appointed to serve in the leadership team of the American Bar Association's Antitrust Law Section: International Cartel Task Force for 2019/2020. This is the first time an ex-enforcer from the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has been appointed to the task force.

Harikumar was the Director of Enforcement at the CCCS, where he supervised some of the CCCS's most notable cartel investigations to-date, managed both the Intelligence Unit and IT Forensics Taskforce, was responsible for managing leniency applications made to the CCCS, designed, reviewed and administered the secret complainant and reward schemes, planned and executed dawn raids, and recorded investigative statements from persons under investigations.

Osborne Clarke is also represented on the ICC's Task Force on Cartel Damages Claims, where UK Partner Andrew Bartlett is the UK representative for the Task Force.  Andrew leads Osborne Clarke's UK competition litigation team.  Andrew is an experienced litigator, working on both court cases and arbitration, with market-leading experience in complex cross-border disputes. He has a particular focus on international enforcement cases and cartel damages claims and has a proven track record of perseverance and innovation. Andrew has many years of experience in handling large-scale international disputes, directing and coordinating proceedings in numerous countries working for both corporates and high net worth individuals.

Osborne Clarke’s international competition, antitrust and trade team has a pan-European footprint. They bring long-standing experience in defending clients’ international interests while delivering clear and pragmatic advice, tailored to their specific circumstance and sector.