Sir John Armitt reappointed chair of NIC

Sir John Armitt has been reappointed as chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) for a further two years while current Commissioner Julia Prescot has been appointed deputy chair.

In an announcement made by HM Treasury, the Chancellor has confirmed that Sir John’s tenure as Chair will now end in January 2025 while Julia Prescot’s new appointment as Deputy Chair will end in April 2027.

Julia first joined the Commission in 2017, while Sir John has served as a Commissioner from the organisation’s establishment in 2015.

Sir John Armitt said: “Chairing the Commission is both a great privilege and a serious responsibility, offering impartial, expert advice to government on the role of infrastructure in helping solve some of the UK’s biggest economic and environmental challenges.

“I welcome Julia’s appointment as Deputy Chair which will assist our preparations for the next National Infrastructure Assessment in particular. Together, we and our fellow Commissioners look forward to presenting the Assessment to ministers and working with them, alongside others in the public and private sectors, to ensure our infrastructure is ready to face the future.”

The appointments will help ensure continuity as the Commission prepares the next National Infrastructure Assessment.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: “I am very pleased to reappoint Sir John Armitt as Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission. Sir John’s extensive engineering and major project delivery expertise is hugely valuable, and I look forward to continuing to work with him to deliver sustainable economic growth across the UK.

“I am also very happy that Sir John will be joined by Julia Prescot, who has been appointed as Deputy Chair, to jointly lead the organisation as they prepare for the next National Infrastructure Assessment.”

In addition to these appointments, the announcement confirms that a process will commence shortly to appoint a Commissioner as a successor to Bridget Rosewell who stepped down this month. Further details on this competition will be announced in the near future.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

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