Jason Moriarty, who has spent the past 10 years as chief operating officer within the States, said he had decided to move on having been involved in ‘a series of honest and respectful conversations’ with States chief executive Boley Smillie about his planned leadership changes in the civil service in the wake of the MyGov disaster, where £21m. was wasted on IT projects for no public gain.
‘After 30 years, I have decided to retire from working in the public sector. It is a decision that I have wrestled with for some time and is of course announced with a degree of sadness, but now is the right moment for me to make this change,’ he said in a message to staff issued late yesterday.
Mr Moriarty was a popular figure within the States and had a varied career, including as director of marketing and tourism, chief officer at the Commerce & Employment Department, and chief operating officer, which included leading the operational response to the Covid pandemic as gold commander.
He will be working his notice.
‘I’d like to thank Jason for the contribution he has made to Guernsey’s public service over the last 30 years,’ said Mr Smillie.
‘Over that time, he has taken on a wide range of senior and demanding roles, including playing a key part in leading our operational response to the Covid-19 emergency.
‘He has approached these challenges in a calm and thoughtful way, earning the respect of colleagues and stakeholders alike.
‘On a personal note, I’d also like to thank him for the support he has given me over the past year.’
Senior leadership changes within the States were expected following Mr Smillie’s review of the MyGov programme. The appointment of new chief officers for States committees is expected to happen over the next few months, with several senior people likely to be redeployed into those roles.