HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : New senior management team for Treasury budget and public finances directorate [May 2004]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 17 May 2004.

The Treasury announced today that Nick Macpherson, currently Managing Director of the Treasury’s Public Services directorate, has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the Budget and Public Finances directorate, taking over from Professor Nick Stern, whose appointment to the Commission for Africa was recently announced by the Prime Minister. Nick Macpherson will take up his appointment after the upcoming Spending Review.  Professor Stern will maintain his role as Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury and Head of the Government Economic Service.

The Treasury also announced two appointments within the Budget and Public Finances directorate as part of the strengthening of its analytical policy function and the improvement of tax policy coordination across Government, in line with the recommendations of the Treasury Permanent Secretary Gus O’Donnell’s review of the revenue departments, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer alongside the March Budget.

Edward Troup, currently Managing Partner of the Tax and Pensions Group at Simmons and Simmons, has been appointed the Director of Business and Indirect Tax, and Mike Williams, currently Deputy Director on International issues at the Inland Revenue has been appointed Director of International Tax. They will join Dave Ramsden, Director of Budget and Tax Policy, and Nick Holgate, Director of Personal Tax and Welfare Reform, on the management team of the Budget and Public Finances Directorate.

Commenting on the appointments, Gus O’Donnell said:

“I am pleased to announce such a strong team, and I am particularly delighted to have brought Edward Troup back to the Treasury to take up this important post. He is one of the leading British authorities on tax, and his extensive experience of working with business on tax legislation will strengthen our efforts to simplify the tax system, help businesses start up and grow, and tackle avoidance.”