Our governance

Decision-making, executive and managerial bodies in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Roles and structure of our boards and committees

Departmental Board

The Departmental Board forms the collective strategic and operational leadership of the department. Chaired by the Secretary of State for Justice, it brings together the Ministerial and Civil Service leaders with senior non-executives from outside government. It is responsible for setting strategic direction, including reviewing delivery against the business plan.

Members:

Audit Risk and Assurance Committee

As a sub-committee of the Departmental Board, the Audit Risk and Assurance Committee supports the Board and the Principal Accounting Officer in their responsibilities to ensure that there are effective arrangements for governance, risk management and internal control for the department by focussing on assurance arrangements over governance, financial reporting, and the annual report and accounts, including the evidence for and content of the governance statement. The Committee ensures there is an adequate and effective risk management and assurance framework in place to meet the Board and Accounting Officer’s assurance needs and reviewing the reliability and integrity of these assurance.

Members:

  • Paul Smith, Non-Executive Board Member (Chair)
  • Alison Bexfield, Independent Member
  • Jonathan Flory, Independent Member
  • Nicky Wilden, Independent Member
  • Jonathan Spence. Non-Executive Board member

Nominations Committee

As a sub-committee of the Departmental Board, the Nominations Committee provides assurance on senior executive appointments within the department.

Members:

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is chaired by the Principal Accounting Officer. It is the executive leadership team for the department and is comprised of senior officials. It ensures that the department is fully aligned with the strategic direction set by the Secretary of State, maintains and directs the capabilities to deliver, oversees the delivery of outcomes and prioritises and allocates financial and other resources.

Members:

  • Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretary (Chair)
  • Nick Goodwin, Chief Executive, HMCTS
  • Phil Copple, Director General, Operations, HMPPS
  • Amy Rees, Director General, Chief Executive, HMPPS
  • Megan Lee-Devlin, Director General, Service Transformation
  • James McEwen, Director General, Chief Operating Officer
  • Jerome Glass, Director General, Policy - Courts & Access to Justice
  • Ross Gribbin, Director General, Policy - Prisons, Offenders and International Justice
  • Richard Price, Director General, Performance, Strategy and Analysis
  • Mark Adam, Chief People Officer
  • Naomi Mallick, Director, MoJ Legal Advisors
  • Simon Barrett, Director of Communications

Delivery Board

The Delivery Board provides assurance to the Principal Accounting Officer and the Departmental Board that the strategic outcomes and commitments defined in the Outcome Delivery Plan and Government Major Projects Portfolio are on track to be delivered. It escalates matters for consideration to Departmental Board via the Executive Committee.

Members:

  • Mark Rawlinson, Lead Non-Executive Board Member (Chair)
  • James McEwen, Director General, Chief Operating Officer
  • Megan Lee-Devlin, Director General, Service Transformation
  • Paul Smith, NonExecutive Board Member
  • Mark Beaton, Non-Executive Board Member
  • Jon Griffiths, Chief Project Delivery Officer
  • Alison Baptiste, Infrastructure & Projects Authority
  • Johanna Harston, HM Treasury, Director, Public Services
  • Ian Blakeman, Director, Planning & Performance

Investment Committee

The Investment Committee is a sub-committee of the Executive Committee. The Investment Committee has delegated powers to make investment decisions on the Executive Committee’s behalf, with oversight of the MoJ portfolio, including portfolio projects from inception through to implementation, ensuring they remain strategically aligned, affordable and deliverable. The Committee considers  and, where appropriate, approves investment decisions on behalf of ExCo, ensuring that investments deliver value for money, meet regularity and propriety considerations and are affordable and sustainable.

Members:

  • James McEwen, Director General, Chief Operating Officer (Chair)
  • Adrian Hannell, Director of Financial Management, Control, Risk & Governance
  • Alex Wilks, Chief Economist
  • Vacant (Interim joining 24 June 2024), Chief Financial Officer HMCTS
  • Amy Holmes, Public Guardian and Chief Executive for the Office of the Public Guardian
  • Barry Hooper, Chief Commercial Officer
  • Chris Drane, Director, Data and Analysis
  • Jason Latham, Director, Development HMCTS
  • Jerome Glass, Director General Policy, Courts and Victims
  • Jim Barton, Executive Director, HMPPS Change
  • Jonathan Nancekivell-Smith, Director Financial Strategy & Partnerships
  • Jon Griffiths, Chief Project Delivery Officer
  • Kirsten Stewart, Infrastructure and Projects Authority Representative
  • Megan Lee Devlin, Director General, Service Transformation
  • Richard McSeveney, Chief Property Officer
  • Robert Nicholas, Deputy Director, Portfolio Management Assurance
  • Thalia Baldwin, Director, Strategy and Innovation

Finance, Performance and Risk Committee

Finance, Performance and Risk Committee (FPRC) is a sub-committee of the Executive Committee. The Committee has responsibility for scrutinising, challenging, and supporting departmental delivery against the Outcome Delivery Plan (ODP) and the Department’s performance framework. It also informs management of the Department’s principal and secondary risks, and monitors compliance with functional standards and other government, legal or professional requirements.

Members:

  • Richard Price, Director General Performance, Strategy and Analysis (Chair)
  • James McEwen, Director General, Chief Operating Officer
  • Mark Adam, Chief People Officer Annabel Burns, Director Strategy, Analysis and Planning (HMCTS)
  • Matt Shelly, Director, Business Architecture and Transformation
  • Jonathan Nancekivell- Smith, Director, Financial Strategy & Commercial
  • Thalia Baldwin, Director Strategy and Innovation
  • Richard McSeveney, Chief Property Officer
  • (Interim joining 24 June 2024), Chief Financial Officer HMCTS
  • Ian Blakeman, Director Planning & Performance
  • Adrian Hannell, Director of Financial Management, Control, Risk & Governance
  • Jonathan Nancekivell-Smith, Director Financial Strategy & Partnerships
  • Hannah Meyer,  Executive Director, Strategy, Planning and Performance (HMPPS)
  • Jo Collins, Chief Risk Officer
  • Chris Drane, Director, Data and Analysis
  • Kate Shiner. Chief Operating Officer, Justice Digital
  • Barry Hooper. Chief Commercial Officer

People Business Committee

The People Business Committee is a sub-committee of the Ministry of Justice’s Executive Committee. It supports the Executive Committee in its leadership and management of people and workforce strategies to improve the coordination of design, decisions and implementation of cross-cutting programmes of work.

Members:

  • Mark Adam, Chief People Officer (Chair)
  • Dave Mann, Director, People Services
  • Caroline Murray, People Director, Centre of Expertise
  • Diane Caddle, Director MoJ
  • Louise Alexander, HR Director, HMCTS
  • Simon Barrett, Director of Communications
  • Jane Harbottle, Chief Executive, Legal Aid Agency
  • Alison Fowler, Director Business Partnering MoJ HQ and HMPPS
  • Ian Barrow, Executive Director, Workforce and Recovery Programmes, HMPPS
  • Claire Fielder, Director, Youth Justice and Offender Policy
  • Michelle Jarman-Howe, Chief Operating Officer Prisons and Executive Director for Central Operations Services, HMPPS
  • Wayne Sumner, Deputy Director, Planning & Performance
  • Amy Holmes, Public Guardian and Chief Executive for the Office of the Public Guardian
  • Adrian Hannell, Director of Financial Management, Control, Risk & Governance
  • Drew Morris, Divisional Director, Inclusive Culture Centre of Expertise
  • Dominic Herrington, Executive Director, Transforming Delivery Directorate, HMPPS
  • Matthew Shelley, Director, Business Architecture and Transformation
  • Steve Hodgson, Group Chief Internal Auditor
  • Jo Collins, Chief Risk Officer
  • Kate Shiner, Chief Operating Officer, Justice Digital

Portfolio Committee

The Portfolio Committee provides oversight of progress across our major change portfolio, with a reporting line into both the Executive Committee and Delivery Board. It ensures projects are set up for success, resolves issues that may compromise delivery, including advising on prioritisation decisions regarding the deployment of functional resources to support effective delivery.  It oversees delivery of the portfolio of priority programmes and projects, as well as monitoring and tracking progress, including whether delivery and benefits realisation are on track and will undertake or recommend additional scrutiny as required. It will oversee delivery of the Department’s whole major change Portfolio, including programmes in the Government Major Projects Portfolio and the pipeline, ensuring that the Portfolio remains deliverable within the tolerance parameters approved by Investment Committee and that project leaders comply with project delivery standards.  The Committee will work closely with other senior Departmental governance forums to scrutinise the overall portfolio in terms of its performance, progress and any strategic and cross-cutting systemic issues that require escalation. It will also identify areas where governance and oversight might usefully be strengthened and streamlined. Members:

  • James McEwen, Director General, Chief Operating Officer (Chair)
  • Megan Lee-Devlin, Director General, Service Transformation
  • Jon Griffiths, Chief Project Delivery Officer
  • Richard McSeveney, Chief Property Officer
  • Ian Blakeman, Director Planning & Performance
  • Rachel Hunt, HMCTS Director, Civil, Family and Tribunals Programme
  • Adrian Hannell, Director of Financial Management, Control, Risk & Governance
  • Jonathan Nancekivell-Smith, Director Financial Strategy & Partnerships
  • Jim Barton, Executive Director, HMPPS Change
  • Thalia Baldwin, Director, Strategy and Innovation
  • Robert Nicholas, Deputy Director, Project Delivery Function, MOJ Portfolio and Assurance

Structure of our boards and committees

For more information on our boards and committees and a visual representation of our governance structure, see our Annual report and accounts: 2021 to 2022 (pages 62-69).

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