Cabinet Office shakes up leadership as Harriet Aldridge named COO
Harriet Aldridge has been appointed chief operating officer at the cabinet office, moving from her role as chief executive of the Government Internal Audit Agency. She will oversee corporate functions and lead delivery of the department’s key priorities. Her start date will be announced shortly once interim arrangements for GIAA leadership are confirmed and a recruitment exercise for a new GIAA chief executive begins.
Cabinet Office leadership changes
The Cabinet Office has confirmed Harriet Aldridge will join the department from the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA), an executive agency sponsored by HM Treasury. In her new role as chief operating officer, Aldridge will be responsible for corporate functions across the department, with a remit to enable change and deliver the Cabinet Office’s stated priorities.
Aldridge brings direct cross-government experience from her time as chief executive of the GIAA, where she led internal audit service provision across government. Her appointment follows the departure of Sarah Harrison, who left in November to become chief executive of the Building Societies Association.
The department has said Aldridge’s precise start date will be announced shortly once interim arrangements for GIAA leadership are confirmed. A substantive recruitment exercise will begin for a new GIAA chief executive following those interim arrangements.
The move is the latest in a sequence of senior civil service changes inside the Cabinet Office. Dame Antonia Romeo was appointed cabinet secretary and head of the civil service last month after serving as permanent secretary at the Home Office. Juliet Chua joined the department as director general for the Economic and Domestic Secretariat in January, replacing Emma Churchill, who moved on to the Ministry of Justice last year and now holds a senior policy role there. Other recent shifts include Ellen Atkinson joining as director general for the Propriety and Constitution Group, replacing Darren Tierney, who became permanent secretary at the Office for National Statistics, and Janet Hughes announcing her departure as director general for reform and efficiency.
Immediate reactions and next steps
Janet Hughes, Director General for Reform and Efficiency at the Cabinet Office, wrote in a public post that she will be leaving the department to take a sabbatical to “reflect, regroup and work out what’s next. ” Hughes added that her director colleagues will continue to lead work on reform programmes including test, learn and grow, the Office for Impact Economy and the Evaluation Taskforce.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “Janet has provided a wealth of experience to the department, and we thank her for her leadership and work during her time at the Cabinet Office. ”
Officials say the appointment of a government chief people officer remains outstanding; that role is currently being shared on an interim basis by Caitlin Kinsella and Janette Durbin. The Cabinet Office is proceeding with internal arrangements to cover transitions and will launch the recruitment for the vacant GIAA chief executive post shortly after interim leadership is in place.
What’s next: the Cabinet Office will announce Harriet Aldridge’s start date once interim arrangements at the GIAA are confirmed, and the subsequent recruitment drive for a permanent GIAA chief executive will begin. Observers inside government will be watching how Aldridge’s cross‑government audit experience is marshalled to support the department’s corporate agenda and how other planned appointments — including the government chief people officer — are resolved in the coming weeks as the cabinet office navigates the ongoing senior reshuffle.
