Two senior civil servants who have been job-sharing for over a decade have been appointed to become the first joint chief executives of the Office for Students.
Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne have been hired to lead the higher education regulator, following 16 years of job-sharing together in the civil service.
The duo will take over on a permanent basis this summer from Susan Lapworth, who officially steps down on Wednesday.
Josh Fleming, currently director of strategy and delivery at OfS, will serve as interim chief executive until Hannant and Payne take over on June 15.
Long-standing work partnership
The appointments follow those of Tessa Griffiths and Sarah Maclean, who were appointed joint chief executives of Skills England last year after decades of job sharing in senior government roles.
Hannant and Payne have been working together since 2010 and were the first director general-level job-share in the civil service.
They have had five different roles job-sharing in Whitehall, including serving as directors of higher education in the Department for Education between 2014 to 2017.
They will move to the OfS from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), where they have been directors general for policy since 2021.
Hannant’s earlier career, before job-sharing, included leading Post Office reform in the Shareholder Executive (now UK Government Investments).
Meanwhile, Payne worked in the Treasury for over a decade in numerous economic and policy roles.
She has also worked internationally; in Mongolia for the Asian Development Bank, and in Zanzibar as part of the Overseas Development Institute fellowship programme.
“It is a great privilege to be appointed as chief executive of the Office for Students, having been part of its journey at the outset,” said Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne.
They added: “The Office for Students and its independent regulation plays a crucial role in ensuring those from all backgrounds can benefit from high-quality higher education.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with colleagues across the higher education and skills system to deliver for students.”
OfS chair Edward Peck said: “‘I am delighted that Polly and Ruth are bringing their extensive experience and expertise to the leadership of the OfS as we continue our journey towards becoming an exemplary regulator of higher education.
“The OfS board and I look forward to working with them as we pursue our strategy focused on being ambitious for students, collaborative with education providers and sector agencies, vigilant about the use of public money and vocal about both the strengths and weaknesses of English higher education.”
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “This is a crucial moment for higher education, with universities facing real financial pressures and students needing confidence that their courses will have the quality to equip them for the future.”
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