RDSBL hosts international competition and growth conference
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Published
23 September 2025
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The Royal Docks School of Business and Law (RDSBL) hosted an engaging international one-day conference at the University Square Stratford (USS campus) on Monday, 22 September.
Taking place in the main lecture theatre, the George Washington Competition & Innovation Lab (GW CIL) conference, co-organised by Dr Miroslava Marinova, brought together expert speakers in a series of panel discussions and fireside chats. The theme of the well-attended event was AI and regulation, aligning with the Government’s agenda on growth and innovation and discussing the implications of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 - legislation which has the potential to change competition law and consumer protection.
Dr Miroslava Marinova is Senior Lecturer in Law at RDSBL and Senior Fellow at the George Washington (GW) Research Centre and co-organised the conference. Dr Mira said,
I have been really pleased to see so many people from different businesses and backgrounds come together to talk about AI and regulation. Among our attendees we welcomed a judge from the Competition Appeal Tribunal, representatives from other higher education institutions and well-respected employers including Google, BBC, Linklaters and Vodafone. Throughout the day we’ve discussed the new legislation in the UK that is going to regulate digital markets and the changing landscape of competition law and consumer protection.
“The conference also focused on how we can use competition law to unleash prosperity and growth in the UK economy, aligning with the Government’s agenda on growth and competition. It was a pleasure to welcome guest speakers and delegates to the Royal Docks School of Business and Law’s world-class facilities. This exciting event has also inspired our students, and comes at an exciting time for RDSBL, having recently been nominated for ‘Business School of the Year’ at the Times Higher Education awards, with the final result announced in November.”
Expert speakers and panellists in attendance included:
- Professor Aurelien Portuese, founding director of GW Competition and Innovation Lab, George Washington University (GWU)
- Kai-Uwe Kuhn, Professor of Economics, University of East Anglia (UEA)
- Oliver Bethell, Head of Competition, Regulatory Engagement & Advisory, Google
- Renato Nazzini, Professor of Law, King’s College London (KCL)
- Jessica Radke, Senior Counsel, Linklaters
- Sarah Long, Partner, Euclid Law
- Cleo Alliston, Senior Lawyer, BBC
- Ioannis Kokkoris, Professor of Competition Law and Economics, Queen Mary University London (QMUL)
- Lau Nilausen, Senior Vice President, Compass Lexecon
- Ronan Scanlan, Partner, Steptoe International UK LLP
- Alex Jennings, Senior Competition Law Counsel, Vodafone
- Dr Peter Holmes, Emeritus Reader (Economics), University of Sussex (US)
- Miranda Cole, European Union (EU) and United Kingdom Antitrust Practice Lead, Perkins Coie
Aurelien Portuese, Professor at George Washington University in the US, and founding director of GW Competition and Innovation Lab, said,
It was my pleasure to attend the conference and chair the morning’s panel event on the regulation of competition in AI. I also want to extend my warm congratulations to the Royal Docks School of Business and Law for recently being shortlisted for Business School of the Year. That’s a great achievement, reflecting the quality of teaching and research that is happening.”
Ioannis Kokkoris, Professor of Competition Law and Economics at Queen Mary University of London and judge for the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), said,
“I’m very grateful to be invited to attend this conference by Dr Marinova. I really enjoyed the breadth of topics covered and hearing the different speakers’ perspectives. My own role here was to speak during the afternoon’s fireside chat, being a CAT member, and providing my expertise on moving from academia to being a judge, and what an academic can bring to the Court. Thank you very much to RDSBL for hosting, and I hope to attend future events.”
