Our governance

The main decision-making, executive and managerial bodies at Department for International Trade (DIT).

This information page was withdrawn on

The Department for International Trade (DIT) was replaced by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). This page is no longer current.

Roles and structure of our board and committees

For more information on our boards and committees, and to a view a visual representation of our board structure, see our Annual Report and Accounts 2021 to 2022 (page 104).

Department for International Trade Board

The Department for International Trade’s Board forms the collective strategic and operational leadership of the department. Chaired by the Secretary of State, it brings together all ministers of the department, along with senior executives of the department and Non-executive Board Members.

Members are:

Standing Attendees are:

  • Anthony Green - Director, Ministerial Strategy
  • Jon Tunney - Director of Communications

DIT maintains a register of departmental board members’ interests.

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC)

The Departmental Board established the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. The Committee provides independent advice to support the Board and Accounting Officer in their responsibilities for issues of risk, control and governance.

Read the ARAC terms of reference.

Members are:

  • Sir Stephen O’Brien - Non-Executive Board Member
  • Douglas Carswell - Non-Executive Board Member
  • Hanif Barma - Independent Member
  • Jim Watson - Independent Member
  • Robert Milburn - Independent Member

Nominations and Governance Committee

The Nominations and Governance Committee ensures that senior appointments and pay arrangements are transparent, fair, and support departmental objectives. The Committee also ensures there are effective corporate governance arrangements in place at DIT.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee:

  • drives the department’s overall performance and delivery against DIT’s mission, vision and objectives
  • ensures the effective management of the department
  • develops and implements operational strategy, leading ‘One DIT’ as an effective international economic department where our people are expert, enterprising, engaged and inclusive
  • plays a decision-making role on issues escalated from its sub-committees

Members are:

  • Gareth Davies CB - Permanent Secretary and Chair
  • Crawford Falconer - Second Permanent Secretary and Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser
  • Bidesh Sarkar - Interim Chief Operating Officer and Director, Finance and Business Services
  • Andrew Mitchell CMG - Director General, Exports and UK Trade
  • Ceri Smith - Director General, Strategy and Investment
  • Jo Crellin - Director General, Trading Systems
  • Amanda Brooks - Director General, Trade Negotiations
  • Tim Reid - Chief Executive, UK Export Finance
  • Anthony Green - Director, Ministerial Strategy
  • Ben Cropper - Chief Economist
  • Kenan Poleo - His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner, Eastern Europe and Central Asia
  • John Edwards - His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner, China and Hong Kong
  • Jon Tunney - Director of Communications
  • Rebecca Woodward - Director, HR and Organisational Development

People Committee

The People Committee oversees all aspects of the workplace environment, including DIT’s strategic, policy, and operational approach to: HR, internal communications, diversity. The People Committee is supported by a Shadow People Committee which is made up of representatives from across the DIT network at all grades.

Performance, Finance and Risk Committee

The Performance, Finance and Risk Committee ensures that departmental activity is on budget, on target and on time. It achieves this by:

  • ensuring that the department has robust planning, performance, finance, and risk frameworks
  • effectively monitoring and challenging the department’s performance, financial control and risk picture

Projects and Change Committee

The Projects and Change Committee supports and scrutinises the department’s project and change portfolio. The Committee ensure that:

  • interactions and interdependencies between projects and initiatives are well understood
  • benefits are well defined and realised
  • plans are deliverable
  • change is communicated effectively
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