The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) has announced the appointment of Kieron Sharp as its new DirectorGeneral.

Sharp has a 30-year law-enforcementbackground, most recently as Head of Specialist Crime Operations at the City ofLondon Police Service where he headed major crime investigations andsurveillance operations, among other duties. He is a graduate of the FederalBureau of Investigation (FBI) national academy in Quantico, Virginia, and spent four years at Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, where he was Head of the Economic Crime Department.

Brian Robertson, FACT Chairman commented, "I am delighted Kieron has chosen FACT as the next stepping stone in his distinguished career. FACT as an organisation has developed immeasurably in the past two years andit is to the credit of Raymond Leinster and the efforts of all his team that wehave been able to attract a replacement of Kieron's calibre and experience."

Sharp added, "I am very muchlooking forward to joining FACT. I hopethe knowledge and experience I bring from all aspects of my police career canensure that FACT continues to be very much at the forefront of thefight against piracy."

Sharp takes up his post onNov 6.