Ofcom has announced the appointment of Steve Unger as chief executive when Ed Richards leaves at the end of the year.

Unger is currently director of the media regulator’s strategy, international, technology and economist group.

Unger joined Ofcom’s predecessor Oftel in 2001 as head of network analysis and has served in a number of different roles there since then, including becoming chief technology officer in 2009 and taking on his current job in 2012.