Profile details
Profil Colin Raftery
Colin is a partner in our global antitrust and regulatory group based in London. Until recently, Colin was Senior Director of Mergers at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). He brings unrivalled experience on increasingly stringent global M&A enforcement and is a core member of Freshfields' market-leading M&A and antitrust teams.
Colin’s extensive experience extends to all aspects of UK and EU competition law, with unique insight gained from his role leading the CMA’s merger control function, including engaging with senior officials at the European Commission, US antitrust agencies and other national authorities on global merger control issues.
During his time at the CMA, Colin decided the outcomes of complex Phase 1 merger investigations and was a senior adviser to the independent panels that take decisions in Phase 2 investigations. Colin was involved in a large number of high-profile merger investigations, including Microsoft/Activision, Amazon/iRobot, Sika/MBCC, Viasat/Inmarsat, NortonLifeLock/Avast, Hitachi/Thales, Cellnex/CK Hutchison, Cargotec/Konecranes, Sony Music Entertainment/AWAL, FNZ/GBST, Sabre/Farelogix, Amazon/Deliveroo, PayPal/iZettle, JD Sports/Footasylum, Veolia/Suez, Booking/eTraveli, Bouygues/Equans, S&P Global/IHS Markit, NCR Corporation/Cardtronics, Visa/Plaid, and Cellnex/Arqiva. Colin has also been involved in defending litigation challenges to CMA merger decisions before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).
Colin led internal preparations for the CMA’s additional merger control responsibilities following Brexit, and played a key role in revising the CMA’s Merger Guidelines and other procedural and substantive guidance, including the CMA’s guidance on remedies, interim measures and the use of internal documents in merger investigations. Shortly before joining Freshfields, he led a CMA working group on proposed revisions of the Phase 2 investigation process, resulting in the proposed reforms announced in November 2023.
Having been involved in the CMA’s internal preparations for aspects of the UK Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Bill, coming into force in late-2024, Colin also offers invaluable expertise in the new legislation and in the risks clients may face if they fall under its scrutiny.
Prior to joining the CMA in 2016, Colin worked in private practice in London, Brussels and Washington, DC, advising on all aspects of U.K. and EU competition law.
Qualifikationen
Education
- University of Chicago Law School (LL.M)
- College of Europe, EU Law (LL.M)
- University of Edinburgh, Law (LL.B)