The longest serving member of the Press Complaints Commission, Professor Robert Pinker, is to retire from his role as a lay member at the end of the month.

Professor Pinker joined the PCC when it was set up in 1991 and was acting chairman between January 2002 and March 2003, following the departure of Lord Wakeham. He will retain a consultancy role at the PCC.

Chairman Sir Christopher Meyer said Professor Pinker had been “a voice of common sense and wisdom” throughout his tenure.

He said: “Bob Pinker’s contribution to the success of the PCC over the last 13 years has been immense. As a founding member, he helped to get us started. As acting chairman, he provided skillful leadership at a potentially difficult time.

“Bob is a true friend of self-regulation, both in terms of all his work at Salisbury Square and his tireless activity spreading the word both here and abroad about everything we do.”

Professor Pinker said: “It has been a great pleasure to serve as a member of the PCC since its establishment in 1991. In the early years we came through some difficult times but, with good leadership and team spirit, we made self-regulation a success story in the UK.

“There is still much more to do, and I am greatly looking forward to my future work on the international scene and in helping with the lecture programme on the home front.”

Following Professor Pinker’s retirement, market research consultant Adam Phillips has been appointed as a new lay member of the Commission, and will start on Monday.

He is currently the chair of the ESOMAR Professional Standards Committee, and has extensive experience of regulation of the market research industry.

He said: “”These are interesting times to be joining the Commission, with renewed scrutiny of the manner in which it balances the rights of members of the public on the one hand with the freedom of the press on the other.

“I am looking forward to contributing to that important balancing act.”

There are 17 members of the Commission, ten of whom are lay commissioners who have no connection to the industry, while seven are drawn from among the ranks of editors in the national and regional press, and periodicals.

Adam was appointed after public advertisement of the post and an interview, followed by ratification by an independent Appointments Commission, members of which include Sir Christopher Meyer and Philip Graf.

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