Sir John Manzoni was brought into government in 2014 to prioritise commercial skills in the civil service TODD KOROL/REUTERSThe chief executive of the civil service is to step down ahead of an expected overhaul of Whitehall. Sir John Manzoni, a former BP executive, will leave this year, which the government said had been planned for “some time”. However, his departure is expected to coincide with a wider shake-up of government priorities being led by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings. Mr Cummings has long been a critic of Whitehall’s ability to complete big projects and attract staff with science and data skills into senior roles. Sir John was brought into government by David Cameron in 2014 to shake up project management and prioritise commercial skills in Whitehall, but that project fell down the political agenda after the EU referendum as ministers prioritised preparations…

Source: The Times January 22, 2020 17:03 UTC