On Tuesday, October 14, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to approve Ieva Šmite as the Chairwoman of the Competition Council (CC) for a five-year term.
Ieva Šmite has worked at the Competition Council for a total of 17 years, the last 10 of which she has led the department responsible for investigating the most serious competition law violations — prohibited agreements. She has demonstrated strong leadership skills and high stress resilience while overseeing several high-priority investigations, including the so-called “construction cartel,” “road construction cartel,” and the “bus carriers case.” At the same time, I. Šmite has played a significant role and has been actively involved in initiatives promoting competition law awareness and culture.
I. Šmite has been serving as the Acting Chairwoman of the Competition Council since the beginning of this year, following the departure of the previous Chairman, Juris Gaiķis.
I. Šmite holds a Master’s degree in Law and has previous work experience at the State Probation Service and the Ogre District Court.
As previously reported, the selection process for the position of Chair of the Competition Council took place in three rounds.
During the first round, the competition committee evaluated the submitted documents and the candidates’ compliance with the mandatory requirements. In the second round, candidates explained their motivation for applying for the position, answered the committee’s questions, and presented their vision and proposals for the actions of the Competition Council to promote Latvia’s international competitiveness. In the third round, the candidates’ leadership competencies were assessed, including strategic vision, results orientation, decision-making and accountability, change management, and team leadership.
Information about the competition requirements and the composition of the committee is available on the State Chancellery’s website.
