3 new non-execs to join HMRC board, including John Whiting

Volker Beckers and Norman Pickavance joined the main board on 1 January 2013. John Whiting will take up a position on the board from 1 April 2013. The three will take on posts that became vacant after John Spence left last year, Phil Hodkinson left at the end of January this year and Ian Barlow’s success in the competition to become HMRC’s lead non-executive in September 2012.

HMRC’s non-executive board members (left to right): Phil Hodkinson (leaving HMRC at end of January), Colin Cobain, Ian Barlow, Philippa Hird, Volker Beckers, Edwina Dunn, Norman Pickavance.

In addition to main board roles, Volker Beckers will chair a new Scrutiny Committee, Norman Pickavance will join the People, Nominations and Governance Committee and John Whiting will chair the Audit and Risk Committee from 1 April 2013.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke MP, said:

“These appointments provide a rich mix of board-level experience. They have a lot to offer the HMRC board and will bring new and further capability and credible challenge to board discussions and to the new executive team.”

Chief Executive Lin Homer said:

“I am delighted with these appointments. They all have vast experience to share with HMRC which will help us as we face the challenges of the future. I’d also like to thank both John Spence and Phil Hodkinson for their valuable contributions to HMRC over the past five years and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”

HMRC also announced the appointment of Edwina Dunn, Janet Williams, Leslie Ferrar and Paul Smith to further strengthen HMRC board committees. Edwina Dunn will take up an adviser role to the main board, Janet Williams will be appointed to the Scrutiny and People, Nominations and Governance Committees, and Leslie Ferrar and Paul Smith will take up roles on the Audit and Risk Committee.

Lead non-executive Ian Barlow said:

“These appointments create a group of non executives with a wide range of skills and experience, including the management of change in large-scale organisations, customer service, building and advising small businesses, and financial and tax expertise. We look forward to working with our executive colleagues on the board to help them achieve HMRC’s challenging objectives.”

Notes for editors

1. Volker Beckers has been Group Chief Executive of RWE Npower since January 2010. He has led large change programmes and has a very strong focus on public and customer engagement. He joined the energy company RWE AG in 1993 and became Group Chief Financial Officer of RWE Npower in 2003. Before joining RWE he worked in the IT industry in Germany and ran CompuNet’s (today Computacenter) education and training centre, before moving to their consultancy arm.

2. Norman Pickavance has experience in HR and organisational development, most recently as Group HR & Communications Director of WM Morrisons Supermarkets Plc, a 130,000-strong organisation. He previously worked in manufacturing and other international and high tech businesses. He has also been a Non-Executive Director with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and has worked at board level for over a decade.

3. John Whiting is currently the Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification and the Tax Policy Director of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). He will be stepping down from the latter role but will remain involved with the CIOT. Previously, he was a tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers for 25 years. He was awarded the OBE in 2008 for services to the tax profession.

4. Edwina Dunn is the co-founder of Dunnhumby, which became the leader in data mining and analysis, using the insight to help improve customers’ retail and brand experience, including the key to the introduction of the market-leading Tesco Clubcard.

5. Janet Williams has recently retired as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner from the Metropolitan Police Service, where she led the protective security commands. She has a breadth of experience in serious and organised crime investigations and was the national law enforcement lead for cyber-crime.

6. Leslie Ferrar was the Treasurer to TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Leslie also holds a number of other non-executive positions. She was previously a tax partner at KPMG.

7. Paul Smith is a former Finance Director of Ford UK and has board-level experience from across both the public and private sectors in health, housing, transport and other government departments.

8. The board will comprise six non executives and six executives, six women and six men.

9. The position of Lead Non Executive was created after the departure of Mike Clasper as Chairman of HMRC in August 2012.

10. The new non-executive directors will be paid £15,000 a year; those who chair board committees will be paid £20,000 a year.