The central department is to lose one senior manager and gain another, in two roles focused on transformation and operations, with a remit to help deliver on government’s top priorities
The Cabinet Office is to wave goodbye to its director general of reform, while welcoming a new chief operating officer.
In the latter case, Harriet Aldridge will move to the department from her current role leading the Government Internal Audit Agency, an executive agency sponsored by HM Treasury.
The new COO will be responsible for corporate functions within the organisation, enabling change and delivering on the department’s key priorities. She brings direct experience of cross-government working from her time as chief executive of the GIAA, where she led internal audit service provision across government.
The Cabinet Office said Aldridge’s start date will be announced shortly once interim arrangements for GIAA leadership are confirmed. A recruitment exercise will begin shortly for a new GIAA chief exec.
She replaces Sarah Harrison, who left in November to become chief exec of the Building Societies Association.
Meanwhile Janet Hughes, who last year joined the central department as DG for reform and efficiency – on a loan arrangement from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – is soon to depart her role. In a recent LinkedIn post, Hughes said she will be taking a sabbatical to “reflect, regroup and work out what’s next”.
“I’m going to be leaving [the] Cabinet Office in a couple of weeks as my role here isn’t going to be continuing when my loan from Defra comes to an end,” she wrote. “It’s been a huge pleasure and privilege working with colleagues here in Cabinet Office, across government and more widely on reform of the state. I’ve learned a huge amount and am proud to have played my small part in the important and difficult work of making the state work better for people.”
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Hughes said her “lovely and brilliant” director colleagues Nick Kimber, Matthew Clarke and Emily Braid will continue to lead their teams and take forward work on test, learn and grow, the Office for Impact Economy, the Evaluation Taskforce, implementing changes to planning, performance and decision-making across government and reforming the civil service and wider public sector.
Hughes added: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to share their time, insights, expertise, collaboration and energy – there’s some incredible work being done all over our country by people pushing at the boundaries, working together and making things work better despite all the challenges that can involve. I’ll be cheering you all on from wherever I land next!”
Before moving to the Cabinet Office, Hughes was director of the Future Farming and Countryside Programme at Defra.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “Janet has provided a wealth of experience to the department, and we thank her for her leadership and work during her time at the Cabinet Office.”
