Interim States CEO appointed to new head of public service role
THE interim States chief executive is to take up the new head of the public service role in August.
Mark de Garis was appointed to the newly-created role, after beating 16 other applicants.
Previously the States had a chief executive – a role held by Paul Whitfield until in 2021. Since then Mr de Garis has held the interim post.
The new role was created after a review of the CEO job.
‘I’ve been very privileged to serve in the public sector in a wide range of strategic and operational roles, from law enforcement to health services and most recently as the interim chief executive,’ Mr de Garis said.
‘We have big tasks facing us as we look to make our organisation as effective and efficient as possible, while we adapt our services to meet 21st century expectations.
‘We also need to give our staff opportunities to develop and grow, building resilience into the public service as we continue to make sure our elected representatives are fully supported, and their decisions can be effectively delivered as quickly as possible.’
The new job attracted a lot of interest from both internal and external applicants, including those based off-island.
The selection panel was chaired by Simon Nash, from the Jersey Appointments Commission. The panel comprised Policy & Resources president Peter Ferbrache, vice-president Heidi Soulsby, Deputy Peter Roffey, and external panel member Phil Eyre, founder of the Leaders consultancy.
The panel unanimously agreed to offer the role to Mr de Garis.
Deputy Ferbrache congratulated Mr de Garis on his appointment.
‘He has shown an excellent ability to provide leadership in very challenging circumstances,’ he said.
‘We believe he brings the right vision and experience to lead the organisation as we look to provide improved value for money and easy access to good quality services for our community, and deliver on the priorities agreed by the States through the Government Work Plan.’
