The Chancellor has approved the appointment of Sir Christopher Kelly as a non-executive member of the OBR. Sir Christopher will succeed Dame Kate Barker on the oversight board, which holds responsibility for managing risks and safeguarding the independence of the OBR.
Sir Christopher has had a long and distinguished career in the civil service and beyond. He served in various roles in HM Treasury and the Department of Social Security, ending his civil service career as Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health between 1997 and 2000. Since then he has led on a number of reviews and chaired a wide range of committees and organisations including the NSPCC, Financial Ombudsman Service and the Committee on Standards in Public Life. He is currently chair of the Kings Fund and the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board, a senior independent non-executive director on the board of the Co-op Group and member of the Advisory Board to the Institute of Business Ethics.