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The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has appointed Lord Hogan-Howe, Baroness Finn, Henry de Zoete and Rt Hon Gisela Stuart as Non-Executive Board Members.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, yesterday appointed Lord Hogan-Howe, Baroness Finn, Henry de Zoete and the Rt Hon Gisela Stuart as Non-Executive Board Members for the Cabinet Office. Baroness Finn and Lord Hogan-Howe have been appointed to the audit and risk committee.

They have been appointed for at least three years and will provide independent advice, support and scrutiny on the department’s work. The new board members will work with civil servants and ministers across all areas of the Cabinet Office. They will help focus on the Government’s priorities including responding to the coronavirus pandemic, preparing for the end of the EU exit transition period on 31 December 2020, strengthening the integrity of the Union, and improving the efficiency of the public sector.

They join the existing Non-Executive Board Members, Michael Ashley, chair of the department’s audit and risk committee, Anand Aithal and Karen Blackett OBE.

Non-Executive Board Members are ministerial appointments. All members of the Cabinet Office Board were appointed following open and fair competition.

Alex Chisholm, Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office and Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service yesterday said:

Non-executive directors play an important role in ensuring that the Civil Service is well placed to deliver the government’s ambitious agenda.

Our new board members bring a wealth of experience and expertise and I look forward to working closely with them.

Rt Hon Gisela Stuart

Served as the Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston from 1997 until 2017, during which time she was a Health Minister (1999-2001) and member of the Intelligence and Security Select Committee (2015-17). She was formerly co-Chair of Vote Leave and is currently the Chair of Wilton Park, an executive agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Henry de Zoete

Is a tech entrepreneur and the co-founder of Look After My Bills, the largest auto-switching service in the UK, which was acquired by GoCo Group PLC (owners of GoCompare) in July 2019. He has previously served on the Board of grassroots campaigning organisation 38 Degrees (2015-2018), co-founded The Big Deal in 2014 - which uses tech to facilitate collective bargaining for consumers - and was a Special Adviser in the Department for Education (2010-2014) .

Baroness Finn, of Swansea

Was the Coalition Government’s adviser on industrial relations, and subsequently a Special Adviser in the Cabinet Office (2012-2015), the Foreign Office and Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (2015-2016). She became a Conservative peer in 2015, and she is the co-founder of FMA Ltd, a consultancy. She also serves on the audit committee of Arbuthnot Latham & Co, and is a member of the advisory council of Transparency International, and a trustee of the think tank Demos.

Lord Hogan-Howe, of Sheffield

Served as Commissioner for the London Metropolitan police between 2011-2017. Prior to this he was HM Inspector of Constabulary (2009-2011) and Chief Constable of Merseyside police (2004-2009). He was elevated to the House of Lords as a crossbench peer in 2017. He is a trustee of the Arise Foundation, and a patron of the St Giles Trust.