Civil Service Commissioners
Civil Service Commissioners are appointed by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of the Minister for the Civil Service.
They are recruited on merit following public advertisement and a fair and open selection competition. With different careers and interests, they bring experience of public, private and voluntary sectors and a clear and independent perspective. This helps the Commission to support a Civil Service that is effective, politically impartial, and that builds upon its core values to meet the challenges of today and of tomorrow.
Commissioners’ private interests that could influence, or be seen to influence, their judgment are recorded in a Register of Interests .
There are currently 12 Commissioners.
Last updated: March 2026
First Civil Service Commissioner, Rt Hon Baroness Gisela Stuart of Edgbaston PC
Experience
Baroness Stuart served as a Member of Parliament from 1997 until 2017. During her twenty years in Parliament she worked as a government minister in 1999 – 2001, sat on the Security and Intelligence Committee and chaired Vote Leave in 2016.
External Appointments
From 2017, Baroness Stuart has contributed to public life with non-partisan roles and is currently Chair of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee and Chair of Wilton Park. Additionally, she is a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Board for The House Magazine. She is also an Honorary Captain in the Royal Navy Reserves, Director of 80 Denbigh Street Limited, President of the Birmingham Bach Choir, a Member of the Advisory Board for the Global Strategy Forum, and is a Member of the Advisory Committee for the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre Board. Baroness Stuart now sits as a Crossbench Peer where she operates independently, outside of a party-political framework.
She was appointed as First Civil Commissioner on 3 March 2022.
Martin Spencer
Experience
Martin has a background in economics, technology consulting, business transformation and business leadership. Most recently Martin was Senior Vice President at NTT DATA, a global IT services business that delivers some of the world’s largest digital infrastructures and transformation projects. Previously, Martin has held UK and European leadership roles with Capgemini and KPMG Consulting. Martin was also a director at Detica, the international business and technology consulting firm specialising in data analytics and information intelligence.
External Appointments
Martin holds Non-Executive Director roles at Ofsted, the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the Submarine Delivery Agency. He was previously Chair of the Education and Skills Funding Agency and a Non-Executive Director at Companies House, the Serious Fraud Office and the NHS Counter Fraud Authority.
He was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 1 October 2021 and is the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. Martin is also a member of the Joint Operations Committee.
Paul Kernaghan
Experience
Paul is retired from an extensive career in the police, which culminated in a nine year tenure as Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary (1999 – 2008). Following his retirement in 2008 he served throughout 2009 as the Head of Mission for the European Union Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support.
External Appointments
Paul conducted a review of the Parliamentary ICG Scheme (ICGS) in 2024.
He was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 1 October 2021 and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Neil Wooding CBE
Experience
Neil has spent his career working as a public servant in senior leadership roles across central, regional and local government as well as the NHS and the third sector. His last role was as the Executive Director of Workforce Reform within the Cabinet Office. Prior to this, he was the Chief People Officer at the Ministry of Justice, responsible for prison, probation and court services across England and Wales. Neil is an executive graduate of the JFK School of Government at Harvard University specialising in public service leadership. He holds a doctorate in human behaviour and organisational change, an MA in Public Policy and an MSc in Criminology. Throughout his career his primary research interests have been in the field of social justice and equality.
External Appointments
Neil is currently the Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
Neil was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 11 March 2024 and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Elizabeth Hambley CB
Experience
Elizabeth has enjoyed a public sector career working as an employed barrister and senior civil servant in the government legal profession. Until 2023, she served as Director General for Commercial, Trade and International in the Government Legal Department. Previously she held legal leadership roles in five different government departments and secondment to the private sector.
External Appointments
In a voluntary capacity, Elizabeth has chaired a Citizens Advice Service and coaches charity leaders on strategic challenges.
She was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 28 February 2024 and is a member of the Joint Operations Committee. Elizabeth is also a member of the Business Appointment Rules panel.
Chris Pilgrim
Experience
Formerly Chief People Officer and Board member of the energy supplier Npower, Chris began his career with British Steel before joining ExxonMobil and an Exxon Joint Venture with Shell, filling a number of senior positions in the UK and internationally. This was followed by HR Director roles at Royal Numico and Uniq plc, before joining Npower in 2009.
External Appointments
Chris is Chair of the Doctors and Dentist Pay Review Body, Board Member of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, a Consultant for Project Better Energy Limited, and Governor of Cardiff Metropolitan University.
He was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 4 October 2022 and is a member of the Joint Operations Committee. Chris is also a member of the Business Appointment Rules panel.
Liz Walmsley
Experience
Liz brings a breadth of commercial and operational experience from the science, engineering, and financial sectors. She has held senior executive roles in 3i and ICI and was a founder partner of Praesta LLP where she coached extensively in UK and Internationally. She is an experienced non-executive director including roles in Higher Education and Technology.
External Appointments
Liz is a Trustee of the Woodsmith Foundation which supports community development and aspiration across the North York Moors and its coastal towns. She divides her time between coaching and advisory work and is an active volunteer in various charities.
Liz was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 4 October 2022 and is a member of the Business Appointment Rules panel.
Sarah Pittam
Experience
Sarah is an independent Non-Executive Director and governance specialist. Within the state funded and independent education sector, she has advised on governance, operations, finance, stakeholder management and capital projects. She has worked with and for the Department for Education, academy trusts, local authorities and independent schools groups.
External Appointments
Sarah is currently a Director and Shareholder of SLG Consulting Ltd. She has also recently been appointed to the Interviewing Committee for the INSEAD Louis Franck Scholarship Award.
Sarah has previously been a trustee of The Knowledge Schools Trust and Bourne Education Trust. She has also chaired the Children’s Trust Board in a Local Authority among other governance roles.
She was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 1 October 2021.
Lea Paterson CBE
Experience
Lea’s career has spanned public policy, regulation, HR and financial journalism. She chairs the Senior Salaries Review Body, which advises the Prime Minister on the pay of senior public sector officials, and has held a number of senior roles at the Bank of England. Lea was formerly Economics Editor at The Times. She was awarded a CBE for services to the economy in the 2023 New Years Honours List.
External Appointments
Lea is currently Chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body, a member of the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee, a Board Member and Senior Independent Panel Member at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) and an independent Member of Warwick University’s Remuneration Committee. Lea is also a Trustee of the charity IPSEA (Independent Provision of Special Education Advice) and a Director of Amherst School (Academy) Trust, where she additionally serves as School Governor.
She was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 13 June 2022.
Atul Devani
Experience
Atul is a serial entrepreneur who has founded, listed and exited several successful software technology ventures operating in various sectors including finance, mobile, telecoms, telemedicine and pharmacy. He was also the founder of United Clearing plc and an investor in a number of private companies.
External Appointments
Atul is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Foresight Ventures VCT Plc, iHybrid Limited and VSN International. Additionally, Atul is a Director at Equity Plus Partners Ltd and a member of the Entrepreneur Panel for the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. Atul also serves on the board of M-Sparc, a science park created by Bangor University to help to inspire people and provide support for innovations.
He was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 4 October 2022.
Stephen Cohen
Experience
Stephen has over 40 years’ experience in asset management, in Asia, Europe and the USA. He has worked as a portfolio manager, in business development, operations and in IT. Stephen brings a global business perspective, deep experience of finance, corporate strategy and corporate governance.
External Appointments
Stephen is the Chairman of the JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust plc, Chair of Audit of the Schroders Capital Global Innovation Trust plc, and also Chair of Audit of ARIA (The Advanced Research Invention Agency). He is an Advisor to the Chair of Trustees of Denville Hall. Until November 2024 he was a Commissioner for the Gambling Commission, which included being the Chair of the 4th National Lottery Competition Committee.
He was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 4 October 2022.
Tony Poulter OBE
Experience
Tony started his career in the Civil Service and then spent 26 years as a Partner in PwC, where he advised on infrastructure finance in the UK and internationally. He also led the firm’s advisory business in Asia-Pacific and its global consulting business of 40,000 people.
External Appointments
Tony holds Non-Executive Director roles at the Department for Transport, London and Continental Railways Ltd, and Cubico Sustainable Investments Ltd. He is also an External Member of the Finance Committee at Oxford University, is a Panel Member of the Major Projects Review Group, and is an Independent Member of the State Honours Committee. During this period he was also on the Finance and Operations Committees of the National Portrait Gallery and was a Director of GBR Transition Team Ltd..
He was appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner on 28 February 2024.