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Adonis appointed as permanent chair of National Infrastructure Commission

Lord Adonis has been appointed as the permanent chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in a move which, accompanied by the appointment of four new commissioners, puts the NIC on a firmer footing for the future.

Previously interim chair, Adonis, who served as transport secretary between 2009 and 2010, has led the NIC since it was first established in October 2015. The chancellor Phillip Hammond has also appointed Sir John Armitt as deputy chair and four new commissioners - Kate Barker, David Fisk, Andy Green and Julia Prescot - will also join the NIC to help boost its expertise as it develops a National Infrastructure Assessment setting out how best to meet Britain’s long-term infrastructure needs.

Hammond, said: “The National Infrastructure Commission plays a crucial role to help ensure the UK’s infrastructure is fit for the future. I am pleased to announce that we have appointed Lord Adonis as the permanent chair. He has great ambition, vision and energy, and brings cabinet-level experience and deep knowledge of infrastructure to this role.”

Lord Adonis said: “I’m delighted to have been formally appointed as chair of the National Infrastructure Commission and to be able to build on the work that I began as interim chair. Our infrastructure networks are central to the UK’s economy and society, but too often their planning has been piecemeal and short-term. The NIC provides the opportunity to transform this and deliver the infrastructure that the UK needs to ensure its prosperity over the coming decades.”

Adonis said he was pleased to welcome the new commissioners to the NIC. “These commissioners, along with our existing ones, are leading experts and ensure the NIC provides the best advice to government on the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs,” said Adonis.

The new commissioners span a number of business sectors. Kate Barker is a business economist, and was a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee from 2001 to 2010. David Fisk is emeritus professor of systems engineering and innovation at the Centre for Systems Engineering and Infrastructure at Imperial College London, and a member of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority

Andy Green chairs IG Group plc, a global leader in online trading and the Digital Catapult, an initiative to help grow the UK digital economy while Julia Prescot is chief strategy officer at Meridiam, a leading global investor and asset manager specialising in public infrastructure

The government has also asked the existing NIC members - Tim Besley, Demis Hassabis, Sadie Morgan and Bridget Rosewell - to serve as permanent commissioners until October 2020, having been initially appointed on an interim basis.

If you would like to contact Andy Walker about this, or any other story, please email awalker@infrastructure-intelligence.com.