JOHN FINGLETON, former head of the Competition Authority and current chief of the UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT), has been named Consumer Champion of the Year by Which? magazine in Britain.

Mr Fingleton was singled out for the way he has increased the OFT’s focus on consumer issues.

Which?, published by the Consumers’ Association in Britain, said Mr Fingleton had overseen a “sea change” in the way the OFT deal with important consumer issues since he joined in October 2005.

The magazine praised the Dubliner for being more proactive in investigating price-fixing and cartels than his predecessors.

Under his leadership, it said, the regulator had taken action on a range of alleged price-fixing activities, from dairy products to tobacco and airline tickets.

He also played a “vital role” in recent British court rulings on unfair bank charges, according to the citation.