A SENIOR executive at NatWest has been appointed as the government’s interim chief executive.
Dr Andrew McLaughlin, who is chief executive of commercial and institutional, non-ringfenced bank at NatWest in London, will take up the role on 5 September.
The government’s current chief executive, Suzanne Wylie, will leave her post in July, and the position will be covered by assistant chief executive Tom Walker, as the principal accountable officer until Dr McLaughlin takes over.
Dr McLaughlin will work under a secondment and fixed-term agreement between the Government of Jersey and NatWest until May next year.
The appointment was made at the conclusion of the recruitment process set out by the Chief Minister and overseen by the Jersey Appointments Commission.
Dr McLaughlin, who was previously chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland International in Jersey, has held several advisory and non-executive positions during his career, including as chair of Prince’s Trust Scotland and on the CBI Economics and Tax Committee. He has also been a member of the Fiscal Policy Panel for the States of Guernsey and visiting professor at the Centre for Globalisation at the University of Nottingham.
He holds a first-class degree in economics and politics and a PhD in public policy.
Dr McLaughlin, who has lived in Jersey since 2015 and was a regular visitor to the Island from 1986 when he worked as a student in the Island’s hospitality sector, said: ‘It is a privilege to have the opportunity to serve the community of Jersey for this next period. I will do my best to support the Chief Minister and her government as they deliver their biggest priorities.
‘I hope my leadership experience brings something new to the executive team and that I, in turn, can learn from colleagues who have dedicated their career to public service.’
Chief Minister Kristina Moore, who is also chair of the States Employment Board, said: ‘I am delighted that such a highly qualified and local candidate as Andrew has stepped up to lead Jersey’s public service.
‘Andrew brings with him decades of strategic leadership experience across a number of sectors, and his personal and professional experience will be of direct benefit to the government as we look to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and chart Jersey into a much more sustainable, prosperous, and community-focused future.’
