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About NERA
Since 1961, NERA has provided unparalleled guidance on the most important market, legal, and regulatory questions of the day. Our work has shaped industries and policy around the world. Our field-leading experts and deep experience allows us to provide rigorous analysis, reliable expert testimony, and data-powered policy recommendations for the world’s leading law firms and corporations as well as regulators and governments. Our experience, integrity, and economic ingenuity mean you can depend on us in the face of your biggest economic and financial challenges.
New York City, New York—NERA, a leading global provider of economic advice and analysis in business, legal, and regulatory matters, is pleased to announce James Grayburn, Hans-Martin Ihle, Rob Kulick, Melissa Pittaoulis, and Andrew Stivers have been promoted to Managing Director.
James Grayburn has over 20 years of experience specializing in the economics of regulation. He has experience working not only in the private sector as an economist at NERA, but also in the public sector for government and regulatory authorities. He advises clients in the energy, water, and transport sectors on setting price controls, public policy, litigation, and due diligence in the UK and elsewhere. For example, Mr. Grayburn advises UK energy networks on RIIO-3 (the energy network price control for Great Britain), including the UK's Energy Networks Association (ENA). He also advises UK water companies at PR24 (the water network price controls for England and Wales). At recent reviews, he has appeared as an expert witness for energy networks on regulatory finance issues in appeal hearings before the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Mr. Grayburn also advises investors in the energy and infrastructure sectors, including on many recent major UK and other European network sales.
Hans-Martin Ihle is an expert in game theory, auctions, and corporate strategy with 15 years of experience. Mr. Ihle’s work spans three key areas: spectrum auctions, the economics of spectrum management, and auction implementation. His main area of expertise is in spectrum auctions, where he has helped design and implement more than 20 high-stakes auctions for regulators and governments worldwide. He also provides strategic and spectrum valuation advice to mobile operators in spectrum auctions and develops strategies to secure the best possible spectrum portfolio at the lowest possible price, giving his clients a lasting strategic advantage over their competitors. In matters of spectrum management, Mr. Ihle advises government agencies and private-sector companies worldwide on spectrum policy and regulation. He has drafted multi-year spectrum outlooks and developed regulations for new mobile and satellite services. Mr. Ihle also works on the design and implementation of auctions in other sectors, including gas, electricity, and water. Most recently, he advised on the design and implementation of several combinatorial auctions in Australian gas markets.
Robert Kulick is a litigation, deal, and economic policy expert who specializes in antitrust, consumer protection, and the assessment of damages in complex disputes. Dr. Kulick’s experience as a litigation expert includes antitrust liability and damages, class certification, mass torts, and commercial damages. He has substantial experience evaluating the competitive effects of mergers, with particular expertise in transactions involving network industries and the communications and technology sectors. Dr. Kulick also has broad experience advising clients undergoing consumer protection investigations, including numerous matters involving allegations related to dark patterns, junk fees, and the substantiation of advertising claims.
Melissa Pittaoulis specializes in survey research and statistical sampling. Dr. Pittaoulis has extensive experience designing questionnaires, supervising data collection, analyzing data, and reviewing and evaluating third-party surveys. Frequently retained for projects involving intellectual property disputes, her expertise includes patent infringement, false advertising, and trademark and trade dress infringement issues. She has testified in federal district court and before the International Trade Commission and has submitted testimony in various Trademark Trial and Appeal Board matters.
Andrew Stivers specializes in the economics of consumer protection and privacy, analyzing novel and complex questions of consumer behavior and injury related to privacy, algorithmically driven practices, and cutting-edge promotion and advertising practices. Dr. Stivers has provided economic expertise to companies in the top tiers of the AI, video/audio streaming, retail platform, gig economy, gaming, and health data industries. He has also consulted with a broad range of established and growing businesses, including in the telecommunications, payments, investment, and food and supplement industries. Prior to joining NERA, Dr. Stivers was a senior official in the FTC Bureau of Economics, where he oversaw economic analysis of all consumer protection and privacy matters.