He will work closely with the Chancellor of the Duchy
of Lancaster, the Cabinet Secretary, the Civil Service
Chief Operating Officer, and other senior civil
servants across Government. takes
over from Sir Ian Cheshire, who had held the post since
2015.
NEDs are drawn from outside Government including from
business, academia, think tanks and the voluntary
sector, to sit on departmental boards. Their role is to
support ministers and officials to strengthen the
governance of departments, by bringing a commercial or
independent perspective. They help provide constructive
scrutiny and internal challenge to the work of
Government.
The lead Non-Executive will bring non executives from
different departments together to ensure shared issues
and concerns are being pursued across Government.
will
play a key role in building leadership and management
skills in departments, recruiting new non executive
directors and supporting the Cabinet Office and
departments to transform the way public services are
delivered.
has had
a varied career, with extensive experience in both the
public and private sector. He served for over four
years as the Academies and Free Schools Minister and
spearheaded the Academy Ambassador programme, which has
now recruited over 1,500 volunteers with business
backgrounds to improve the governance and financial
controls of academy schools. He worked in venture
capital for 30 years before stepping into education,
having created his own firm, Sovereign Capital, in
1988.
Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and
Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office Alex Chisholm
said:
Our Non-Executive Directors provide valuable external
insight to help the Government achieve its objectives
and deliver for UK citizens.
brings
a wealth of experience from business and Government
to the role, and I look forward to working with him
on the Government’s top priorities.
