Mr Bruce Robinson has been appointed the new Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Mr Robinson is currently Permanent Secretary in the Department of Finance and Personnel and will succeed Sir Nigel Hamilton.
Commenting on his appointment Mr Robinson said: “I look forward to working with Ministers to ensure that the Civil Service delivers the challenging agenda set out in the Executive’s Programme for Government.
“I have every confidence in the ability, skills and commitment of staff in the NICS to succeed in this task. The reform programme we have embarked on will provide the foundations to meet the challenging agenda set by our Ministers and the high standards of service that the public quite rightly expect.”
Mr Robinson is expected to take up his new post in the summer.
Notes to Editors:
- ·Bruce Robinson took up the post of Permanent Secretary at the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) in August 2007, having held the post of DFP Second Permanent Secretary since January 2006.
- Photograph available at the Northern Ireland Executive website
- Mr Robinson has specific responsibility for the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) modernisation agenda and ensuring that, alongside public sector reform, the changes being made within the NICS help deliver excellent public services to the citizen.
- Communication has been central to Mr Robinson’s reform strategy, which is rolling out under the ‘Changing for the Better’ banner. He has developed a central communications hub to support reform which draws together the key projects, improving communication between the projects and across all departments, as the roll out continues.
- A Chartered Accountant, Mr Robinson also has a key role in improving financial management across the Northern Ireland block, in particular, improving the performance of departments in meeting forecasts.
- Prior to joining DFP, Mr Robinson was Permanent Secretary at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) from November 2000. During this time he spearheaded the implementation of a number of initiatives to help improve Northern Ireland’s economic competitiveness and productivity, including the roll out of 100% broadband access; the publication of the Strategic Energy Framework for Northern Ireland; and work toward the establishment of an all-island energy market.
- Prior to his appointment to DETI, Mr Robinson had an 18 year career in the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland and was Chief Executive between 1995 and 2000.
- Throughout his career he has gained significant experience of working with major international corporations on foreign direct investment projects, as well as with local companies, on programmes to improve their ability to compete in international markets. He also worked for a period in Tanzania on economic development projects and lecturing in financial management.
- Mr Robinson graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast, with a degree in Economics and subsequently qualified as an accountant. He is married with four children.
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