The chief executive of HMRC, Dame Lesley Strathie, has stepped down due to ill health. She became the boss of HMRC in 2008, having previously been chief executive of Jobcentre Plus. Dave Hartnett will remain as interim HMRC chief.

Cabinet secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell said: “Over the last 40 years, Lesley has devoted her life to public service. She has been a wonderful role model for all civil servants, working her way from the bottom to the very top of the civil service.”

HMRC has hired two new tax commissioners: Steve Baynard is acting director for tax, while Simon Bowles is chief finance officer.

Bill McCluggage, the government’s deputy chief information officer, is also stepping down after three years in post. He is joining EMC Systems, a cloud computing provider.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change has appointed Claire Thomas as a non-executive director. Thomas is a senior vice president at GlaxoSmithKline.

Click here to see all news and features from Civil Service World

Written by CSW