Carol Holley

Carol is trusted by world-leading brands across consumer electronics, ecommerce, and consumer goods, advising on the full spectrum of product safety, compliance and regulatory matters, with recognised skill in leading responses to high-stakes product safety and compliance crises – including developing strategy, steering regulator engagement and managing reputational risk at the most critical moments.

Carol has particular depth of experience in leading complex, large-scale international product corrective actions across multiple jurisdictions, coordinating responses and guiding clients through the entirety of a recall or corrective action – from initial risk assessment through to market surveillance authority engagement and post-action review.

With deep experience advising on the regulatory landscape for online supply chains, Carol has a particular focus on the evolving regulation of online marketplaces. She has a strong interest in policy work and has led workstreams both during the drafting of major legislative initiatives – including shaping responses to policymakers and industry associations, as well as advising on strategic positioning – and following their adoption. Carol is also an active contributor to industry dialogue on emerging product safety and compliance issues through her participation in organisations such as the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO).

Carol spent seven months on secondment at a global ecommerce business, where she led product safety and compliance workstreams, developed internal compliance frameworks, and provided day-to-day strategic guidance, giving her rare practical insight into the operational challenges facing businesses in this space.

Carol’s key experience includes:

• Leading client advisory work on the implications of significant European Union legislation for their businesses, both during the drafting process and after adoption, including the European Accessibility Act, Market Surveillance Regulation, General Product Safety Regulation and Digital Services Act
• Leading strategic engagement with regulators in the context of high-stakes product safety and compliance investigations and enforcement actions, securing favourable outcomes
• Leading the strategy for, and coordinating, multijurisdictional corrective actions across global markets
• Defending a large product compliance dispute involving multiple claimants
• Handling the product compliance workstream for the launch of innovative consumer electronic products by a number of leading companies, including coordinating with legal teams across the globe
• Managing the compliance strategy for identifying and executing translation and packaging requirements in respect of a global company’s new product rollout