Natalie Harsdorf

Dr. Natalie Harsdorf heads the Austrian Competition Authority since Nov 23. Before that she held different roles in the agency since 2009 such as Acting Director General (21-23), Managing Director, Head of Legal service as well as team leader and case handler.

From 2019 to 2024, Natalie Harsdorf served as the coordinator for the OECD Competition Bureau vis-à-vis UNCTAD. On January 2025, she took up the role of Chair of the OECD Working Party 2 on Competition and Regulation. Harsdorf studied Law at the Universities of Vienna and Dublin and also holds a law degree of the College of Europe in Bruges. Secondments to the European Court of Justice, the Canadian Competition Bureau and the European Commission added to her professional experience in competition law. 2016 year she was voted by Global Competition Review one of 26 Top Women enforcers worldwide. 2022 she was recognized as Austrian lawyer of the year as first woman in public service. Also, she is a co-founder of the women competition network Austria and author/editor of numerous publications on competition law. Harsdorf teaches competition law and European law at the Faculty of the University of Vienna, where she is also one of the lead examiners for the European Law exam.