Joe Perkins

Joe Perkins is a Senior Vice President and Head of Research at Compass Lexecon, based in London. He is an expert economist who has worked in academia, consulting, and government.

Joe advises clients on regulatory and competition matters, with a focus on digital, energy and regulated utilities. His areas of expertise include:

• Digital markets: Expert witness in Ennis v. Apple, UK class action on behalf of app developers. Advised Spotify in the context of the European Commission’s investigation into potential market abuse.
• Energy markets: Advised National Grid ESO and Octopus Energy on potential reforms to locational pricing of energy in the UK and Ofgem on the costs and benefits of different options for energy market design.
• Telecoms: Analysis of the relationship between merger control and investment in the telecoms sector. Also advised Ofcom on measuring the impact of its work on consumer welfare.

As Head of Research, Joe leads a team of professionals with deep expertise in economic theory, econometrics and data science. Their focus is to advance Compass Lexecon’s thought leadership and develop increasingly efficient methods to analyze complex data and construct compelling arguments grounded in empirical analysis.

Before joining Compass Lexecon, Joe was Chief Economist at British energy regulator, Ofgem, where he was responsible for overall analytical strategy and quality assurance, and analysis of energy sector developments. Prior to this, Joe was director for regulation, consumers and competition at the National Audit Office, responsible for value for money audits of economic and financial regulation and the competition and consumer protection regimes. He began his career as an economist at HM Treasury.

Joe earned an MPhil in Economics (with Distinction) from Oxford University, where he was a prize fellow in economics at All Souls College and earned an MPhil in Philosophy at St John’s College, Cambridge University. He is a Bye-Fellow in economics at Queens’ College, Cambridge, and publishes regularly in academic journals.