Appointment of Land Registry Chief Executive

Business Minister Michael Fallon today (18th April 2013) announced the appointment of Ed Lester as the new Chief Executive of the Land Registry, succeeding Malcolm Dawson OBE. Ed Lester’s previous role was Chief Executive of Student Loans Company (June 2010 to January 2013) where he led the organisation through a period of major transformation and where it become an early model of the government’s ‘Digital by Default’ programme. Prior roles include Chief Executive at NHS Direct (January 2004 to October 2008) and Chief Executive at Motability Finance Limited (1994 to 2004).

His experience will be invaluable to the Land Registry as it moves into the implementation phase of its own transformation to become an exemplar of a highly efficient, digital and data centric organisation. This includes digitising its core registration processes and developing a more strategic approach to data to support wider economic growth. With the largest transactional database of its kind detailing over 23 million titles, the Land Registry underpins the economy by safeguarding ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property. Land Registry has an employee base of around 4,500 across 14 offices, with a head office in Croydon where Ed Lester will be based.

As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been an open document since 1990.

Ed Lester will be on payroll and the post will pay a salary of £135,000. He will also be eligible for a performance related award package of up to 20 per cent of base salary. This would be awarded for excellent performance against a clear set of specific objectives aligned with delivering the Land Registry’s strategy. This remuneration package has been approved by the BIS Senior Remuneration Oversight Committee.