HMRC have announced the appointment of Edward Troup as the new Tax Assurance Commissioner (to take over from Dave Hartnett), and Ian Barlow as the Lead Non-Executive Director to succeed Mike Clasper.
The official statement from
HMRC is as follows:
"HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has
announced the appointment of a Tax Assurance Commissioner and a Lead
Non-Executive Director, as part of its new governance arrangements.
Edward Troup, currently HM Treasury’s Director General for Tax and
Welfare, has been appointed Tax Assurance Commissioner and second
Permanent Secretary at HMRC. He will be responsible for shaping tax
policy and strategy, tax professionalism, and will oversee and provide
assurance of large tax settlements. Reporting directly to Chief
Executive Lin Homer, Mr Troup will succeed Dave Hartnett, who is
retiring on 31 July, and will sit on HMRC’s Executive Committee. Mr
Troup will take up his post in August.
Ian Barlow, currently
Chair of WSP Group plc, has also been appointed as the Lead
Non-Executive Director, in succession to Mike Clasper, whose contract is
coming to an end.
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David
Gauke MP, said: "I am delighted to welcome Edward and Ian to these
appointments. They both bring specialist tax knowledge and an
understanding of how HMRC operates. Their wide experience will add depth
and breadth to HMRC’s leadership at both Executive and Board level."
Chief
Executive Lin Homer said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment
of Edward Troup to this substantial and challenging role. HMRC will
greatly benefit from his considerable tax knowledge and legal expertise,
and he will play a critical role in providing rigour and challenge
within HMRC, in order to ensure the transparency and integrity of the UK
tax system.”
She added: “I am also very pleased that Ian Barlow
has accepted the role of Lead Non-Executive Director at HMRC. This is an
important governance role, chairing the Board and providing supportive
challenge to the Executive Committee in developing and delivering HMRC’s
vision and strategy, and ensuring HMRC delivers its performance and
customer service objectives.”
Edward Troup said: “HMRC is an
organisation with a great tradition. I look forward to joining Lin
Homer’s senior management team and continuing with the department’s
transformation into a modern and professional tax administration.
”I
want to ensure that HMRC’s well-deserved pride in its achievements and
its high standards are properly reflected in public confidence that all
taxpayers, large or small, are being treated fairly.“
Ian Barlow
said: “I am looking forward to building on the strategic vision
developed by HMRC and Mike Clasper, and to supporting HMRC to meet its
multiple objectives, including its obligations to its customers and
stakeholders. The role of the Non-Executives is to be critical friends,
both advising and encouraging HMRC’s Executive in its delivery and
holding it to account for its actions.”
Notes to editors1.
Edward Troup began his career as a tax lawyer, working with law firm
Simmons & Simmons, until joining HM Treasury as a special adviser on
tax, between 1995 and 1997. Edward returned to Simmons & Simmons in
1997, before rejoining the Treasury in 2004 as Director of Business and
Indirect Tax.
2. Ian Barlow has held a wide range of
appointments in the public, not-for-profit and private sectors. He is
currently Chair of WSP Group plc and Director at Smith and Nephew and at
the Brunner Investment Trust. He was recently appointed a Non-Executive
Director at HMRC.
3. The Lead Non-Executive Director replaces
the role of the Chairman, in accordance with the Code of Good Practice
introduced by the Government in 2011.
4. The Tax Assurance
Commissioner was appointed using Civil Service Commissioner Recruitment
Principles and the Lead Non-Executive was appointed following a full
Public Appointments Process."
I cannot but help making a wee smile to myself when reading Lin Homer's fulsome praise of Troup, given her somewhat rocky relationship with Margaret Hodge and PAC.
For why?
Only last November Hodge accused Troup of being "laid back", as per the
BBC:
"MPs on the Public Accounts Committee clashed with top civil
servants over the value-for-money of increasing the amount of benefits
that are means-tested.
The hearing on 2 November 2011 followed
the publication of a report by the National Audit Office that said that
the government needed to have a greater understanding of the impact of
means-testing.
Committee chair Margaret Hodge accused Edward
Troup from the Treasury of having a "laid back" approach to his
department's role in the distribution of benefit, a stance denied by Mr
Troup."
Barlow also seems to be an interesting appointment he is, amongst others,
Chairman of WSP a global design engineering and management consultancy
specialising in Property, Transport & Infrastructure, Industry and
Environment projects.
However, Barlow has many other strings to his bow, as per
LinkedIn he is also:
Non Executive Director
Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; SNN;
Medical Devices industry
March 2010
–
Present
(2 years 5 months)
Strand, London
European based medical devices group
November 2009
–
Present
(2 years 9 months)
City of London
Global growth investment trust
July 2009
–
Present
(3 years 1 month)
Ascot racecourse
The trade body for Britain's racecourses
August 2008
–
Present
(4 years)
Victoria, London
NDPD that administers Horserace betting levy
Nonprofit; 501-1000 employees;
Museums and Institutions industry
July 2008
–
Present
(4 years 1 month)
Hampton Court Palace,
Charity that looks after the five unoccupied Royal Palaces in London
July 2008
–
Present
(4 years 1 month)
Victoria, London
Helps British companies do business in and with China.
June 2008
–
Present
(4 years 2 months)
Victoria, London
Non executive director, Chairman, Audit Committee
Gosh, with so many hats to wear I wonder how he will find the time to work for HMRC?
Tax does have to be taxing.
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