Jul 15, 2015 2:21 PM PDT    Text size: 

LONDON — The chair of ATVOD was tapped today to also lead the British government’s Payments Strategy Forum, which is currently being assembled to bring together the U.K. payments industry and representatives of all those that use payment systems.

Ruth Evans will begin her new role on July 27 while still helming the title of chair for ATVOD, the British video-on-demand regulator that has stepped up its authority with recent legislation to outlaw VOD websites from containing "prohibited material" — content that would be denied a British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) certificate.

As chair of the Payments Strategy Forum, Evans will be responsible for guiding and progressing discussions among stakeholders, including card payment systems operated by Visa and MasterCard, as well as direct debit processors.

Evans’ slot will be independent of the industry but appointed by and accountable to the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), the new economic regulator for U.K. payment systems that became fully operational in April.

The government-backed PSR has statutory objectives to promote competition and innovation in the interest of the people and organizations that use payment systems.

“Today we have also issued a call for members to help us find around 20 individuals in senior positions to populate the Forum,” PSR officials said. “These people will have the ability to shape and make decisions on strategy or policy within their organizations and the sector more broadly.”

The first Payments Strategy Forum meeting is expected to be held in the fall. A working group has been busy helping set the Forum up, including helping create draft terms of reference, PSR officials said.

In addition to chair of ATVOD, Evans is senior independent director of CPP Group PLC and nonexecutive director of the Serious Fraud Office, an agency operating under the superintendence of U.K.’s Attorney General.