Recommendation 22

The DMO is entering a period of transition, with the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) due to retire at the end of June 2024 after being in post for over 20 years. We noted that an advert had been placed for the role, and asked the Treasury what the timeframe was for appointing a successor. The Treasury told us it had started the process of finding a successor with the aim of having them in post with enough time to allow for a “sensible transition”.42 We asked the DMO what the minimum term should be for the new CEO to ensure they understand the role and create confidence in the market. The DMO told us that the new CEO should ideally be in post for “long periods” because the learning curve for the role is steep. It explained that this was because the DMO is a specialist agency and it takes time to develop the “specialisms, skills and experience” that it relies on when making important judgements, such as understanding how government policy making works and developing key relationships.43 We asked the DMO what impact the CEO leaving will have on its small executive team, which has other key members nearing retirement. The DMO explained that the CEO leaving now will mean that the rest of the executive team will be around a little longer to help pass on “institutional memory” and “foster talent and growth” further down the organisation.44