Cabinet
Office
25
November 2025
Application to establish an independent consultancy
under the Business Appointment Rules from Ms Fiona Ryland, former Government
Chief People Officer.
Thank you for submitting an application for advice under the
Business Appointment Rules[1] (the
Rules) to the Civil Service Commission (the Commission) on behalf of Ms
Fiona Ryland, formerly Government Chief People Officer at the Cabinet
Office. The application is to establish an independent consultancy. Further
detail on the content of the application is in the Annex. The Commission’s
advice is required as Ms Ryland is a civil servant at SCS Pay Band 3. Her last
day of service is 30 November 2025.
The purpose of the Rules is to
protect the integrity of the government. They aim to avoid any reasonable
concerns that: a civil servant may be influenced in their official duties by
the risk of reward; a civil servant may improperly exploit access to
information; and an organisation may gain an improper influence through the
employment of a civil servant.
The Commission’s advice is that this
application should be subject to the following conditions:
- Privileged information – Ms Ryland should not
draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of herself or the persons or
organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information[2]
available to her from her time in the civil service.
- Lobbying –
For two years from her last day in office, until 30 November 2027, Ms
Ryland should not become personally involved in lobbying[3]
the UK Government or its arm’s length bodies on behalf of her independent
consultancy (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and
clients). She should also not use, directly or indirectly, her contacts in
the government and/or civil service to influence policy, secure
business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage her independent
consultancy (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and
clients).
- Bids
and contracts – For two years from her last day in the civil service,
until 30 November 2027, Ms Ryland should not provide advice to any company
or organisation on behalf of her independent consultancy on a bid or
contract relating to the UK government or its arm’s length bodies.
- Independent
consultancy – Given the likely scope of the consultancy work set out by Ms Ryland in her
application, she does not need to return to the Commission for future
client work unless the proposed work, or a change to existing work, would
alter this scope. If Ms Ryland is uncertain, she should return to the
Commission to seek advice. In particular, Ms Ryland would need to seek
further advice related to:
● Any client or work where Ms Ryland
had direct involvement in related contractual, funding, or policy decisions
while at the Cabinet Office.
● Any client or work relating to
matters she held specific responsibility for.
● Any client or work requiring contact
with the Cabinet Office or UK government for influencing purposes.
The Rules set out that civil servants must abide by the
Commission’s advice. It is Ms Ryland’s personal responsibility to manage the
propriety of any appointment and to understand any other rules and regulations
they may be subject to in parallel with the Commission’s advice.
Ms Ryland must seek advice if she proposes to extend or
otherwise change her role with the organisation. Once this appointment has been
publicly announced or taken up, the letter will be published on the Civil
Service Commission’s website.
Yours sincerely,
Gisela Stuart
First Civil Service Commissioner
Annex A: The application
Applicant
assessment
- Ms Ryland stated that she will
be setting up her own consulting service. She outlined that her work will
likely be HR focused and involve coaching assignments, leadership
development, strategy development and ad-hoc project work.
- As Government Chief People
Officer (GCPO), Ms Ryland is the head of the Government People Function
and Director General of the Government People Group. Her responsibilities
include overseeing the delivery of cross-government HR strategy and
workforce planning; leading the Government People Function and HR
Profession in government; ensuring the right policies and structures are
in place to create an efficient and effective Civil Service; and improving
the way government attracts and develops talented civil servants.
- Ms Ryland said her consulting work
will not involve contact with, or lobbying of, the government.
- Prior to entering the civil
service, Ms Ryland had over 25 years experience
in strategy and HR roles across both the public and private sectors.
- Ms Ryland has also informed the
Commission that there is a possibility that her initial work may be
through Tap’d Solutions, an HR consultancy
company. The company’s work focuses on coaching, leadership development
and training. Ms Ryland stated her husband, the co-founder and Managing
Director of the company, has a current conflict of interest plan which
means that the company does not currently bid for work with the Civil
Service, though the company does do work broadly with the public sector.
Departmental assessment
- The Cabinet Office provided
advice on Ms Ryland’s stated intention to work with Tap’d
Solutions. The department confirmed that Ms Ryland did not meet with Tap’d Solutions in an official capacity during her
time in post, and she was not involved in decisions specific to the
company.
- The Cabinet Office stated that
as Government Chief People Officer, Ms Ryland will have had access to a
wide range of information, in particular relating to government HR policy,
which could provide an unfair advantage to Tap’d
Solutions, though because the company does not currently bid for work with
the Civil Service, the value and relevance of any privileged information
held by Ms Ryland is reduced.
- The Cabinet Office recommended
the standard conditions.
CSC analysis
- Risk of reward. Ms Ryland is establishing a new
consulting business. In relation to her initial potential work contracted
or subcontracted through Tap’d Solutions, Ms
Ryland did not meet with Tap’d Solutions in an
official capacity and was not involved in decisions specific to the
company. The risk of reward for decisions or actions taken in office is likely
to be low.
- Access to information. It is likely that as Government
Chief People Officer, Ms Ryland had access to a wide range of information
that may benefit many companies, though the Cabinet Office did not note
any specific information that presents a risk. The risks under the Rules
will be most significant where Ms Ryland seeks to provide advice on
matters where she had a relationship with her clients, or had access to
relevant sensitive information, while in government service. Given her
description of the work, this risk is limited.
- Improper influence. As a senior official, there is
a risk that Ms Ryland’s government contacts may present an unfair
advantage to potential clients of her consulting work. Given the lobbying
ban that applies to all former senior civil servants, Ms Ryland cannot
have contact with ministers or officials that could reasonably be seen as
seeking to influence government. It is significant to note that Ms Ryland
stated she would not have contact with government as part of her
consulting work. The risks relating to lobbying and/or involvement in
government bids and contracts are mitigated by the standard conditions. In
relation to her initial potential work contracted or subcontracted through
Tap’d Solutions, a conflict of
interest plan currently prevents Tap’d
Solutions from bidding for work with the Civil Service.
- Independent consultancy. This advice grants her consent
to accept consultancy client work, as well as to undertake initial
potential work contracted or subcontracted through Tap’d
Solutions, without returning to the Commission, unless the work extends or
alters the scope described in her original application. In such cases, she
must seek advice so the proposal can be assessed against the Rules.