Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced that Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Renata B. Hesse of the Antitrust Division will assume leadership of the Division.

Hesse succeeds Bill Baer, who became the Acting Associate Attorney General.

“Renata Hesse is an outstanding leader, a determined advocate, and a faithful servant of the law,” said Attorney General Lynch.  “Through her long record of public service, Renata has developed a wide-ranging and comprehensive expertise in antitrust and intellectual property law that makes her exceptionally qualified for her new position.  She has played a key role in some of the most challenging antitrust cases brought by the department in the last 15 years.  And she has distinguished herself at every turn through her tireless work ethic, her keen intelligence, and her steadfast commitment to doing justice.  I am confident that, under her guidance, the Antitrust Division will continue to excel in its work to ensure free and fair markets and to protect American consumers.”

Before her selection to run the Antitrust Division, Hesse served as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal and Civil Operations in the division for almost four years.  During this time, she also served as the division’s Acting Assistant Attorney General immediately prior to Baer’s confirmation.  Hesse was a career trial attorney in the division between 1997 and 2006, in the last four years of which she served as the Chief of the Networks and Technology Section.

Hesse has also served as a senior counsel to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, where she was responsible for overseeing the FCC’s review of AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, and was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Hesse received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and her B.A. from Wellesley College.

“I am deeply honored to have been chosen to lead the hardworking men and women of the Antitrust Division,” Hesse said.  “For over three years, Bill provided the division with exceptional leadership and sharp judgment and it has been a privilege to work with him.  During Bill’s tenure, the division achieved outstanding results in both its criminal and civil enforcement programs.  We intend to continue to vigorously enforce the nation’s antitrust laws on behalf of American consumers.”