Rupert McNeil, the former group HR director at Lloyds Banking Group, has been appointed chief people officer for the civil service.
Rupert is currently group HR Director at Lloyds Banking Group, prior to which he held HR director positions at insurance group Aviva and Barclays Global Retail and Commercial Banking.
Rupert McNeil CV
From 2016 Chief people officer, civil service
2012-2015 Group HR director, Lloyds Banking Group
2010-2012 UK HR director, Aviva
2007-2009 HR director, Global Retail and Commercial Banking, Barclays
2005-2007 Executive management director, Group HR, Barclays
He will take up his new post in January 2016. The chief people officer post is a new role at the Cabinet Office, building on the head of civil service HR post previously filled by Chris Last.
McNeil said: “I am excited and privileged to join the civil service and to contribute to its transformation. I look forward to meeting and working with my new colleagues across all the civil service departments.”
Minister for the Cabinet Office Matt Hancock said of the appointment: “Rupert has a hugely important job, to make government the best it can possibly be by attracting and retaining the most talented people from across the UK. He will be crucial in creating a truly one nation civil service.”
This appointment comes during a period of great change for the civil service, which has undergone considerable cuts to its resources.
The Cabinet Office said selection for the post followed a “full and open competition”.
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John Manzoni, chief executive of the civil service, added: “I’m delighted that Rupert will be joining us. He faced a field of strong candidates from across the public and private sectors, but his record of driving transformational change in large and complex organisations made him the ideal candidate to help lead the civil service at this crucial time.”
McNeil will report directly to the chief executive, leading all aspects of workforce strategy and reform, talent strategy, learning and development, and diversity and inclusion. He will oversee around 3,000 HR professionals.
