The Social Mobility Commission joins Cabinet Office

The move ensures that the Social Mobility Commission is at the heart of the government and enables the Commission to have increased influence and leverage in addressing social and regional inequality.

The Social Mobility Commission is now sponsored by the Minister for Women and Equalities as part of the Equality Hub, which already includes the Government Equalities Office, the Race Disparity Unit and the Disability Unit, to drive meaningful progress on equalities in the UK.

The Commission is led by Sandra Wallace and Steven Cooper who were appointed as interim chairs of the Social Mobility Commission on a job share basis in July 2020. Their interim appointment has been recently extended for a period of up to six months. The appointment will ensure accountability and strong leadership are maintained until the conclusion of an open recruitment process to appoint a permanent chair.

More key information about the Social Mobility Commission’s move:

• The Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss announced in December that the Social Mobility Commission would move to the Cabinet Office.
• The Commission was established by the Child Poverty Act 2010. The Commission was previously referred to as the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission and is operated in accordance with the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016.
• Sandra Wallace is Managing Partner UK and Joint Managing Director Europe at DLA Piper. She is one of the most senior female lawyers in the UK and has previously headed DLA Piper’s UK Employment group. The Powerlist 2020 recognised Sandra as one of the top 100 most influential black people in Britain.
• Steven Cooper is the incoming CEO of Aldermore Bank starting in May 2021, after serving as CEO of private bank C. Hoare & Co. Steven previously served as a senior executive at Barclays, and led on community investment and diversity programmes for the UK. Steven is also Chair of Experian UK, and serves as a non-executive director of recruitment firm Robert Walters plc, as well as a private equity backed payments business.