Lord Nash appointed as Government’s lead NED

Lord Nash has been appointed by the Prime Minister as the Government’s Lead Non-Executive Director (NED).  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. Lord Nash 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. Lord Nash 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.

Lord Nash 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.

Lord Nash 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."