Our governance

The Government Property Agency (GPA) is governed by the GPA Board and managed by the GPA Executive Committee.

The GPA Board’s principal function is to advise the GPA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Cabinet Office (as its sponsor department) on the strategic direction of the Agency.

Specifically the Board:

  • sets the strategic and business direction for the Agency within the scope of the Minister for the Cabinet Office’s strategic priorities
  • approves the GPA’s Annual Business Plan and Corporate Strategy
  • provides constructive challenge to the Agency on the delivery of its strategic objectives
  • ensures that the Agency has the capability to deliver and is able to meet current and future needs
  • promotes the overall culture and values of the GPA
  • has established and oversees sound corporate governance structures for the GPA
  • ensures sound financial management of the GPA
  • scrutinises the allocation of financial and human resources within the Agency in line with its functions and priorities
  • sets the GPA’s risk appetite, and ensures controls are put in place to manage risk and ensure value for money
  • monitors the performance of the GPA and will agree any remedial actions required, ensuring clear, consistent, comparable performance information is used to drive improvements
  • approves the GPA’s Annual Report and Accounts via scrutiny from the GPA Audit and Risk Committee, a sub-Committee of the Board.
  • approves expenditure above management’s delegated limits and within the GPA’s delegated limit, and for expenditure above the GPA’s delegated limits, recommends approval to HM Treasury.

The Board is chaired by Pat Ritchie CBE and includes the GPA CEO and GPA Finance Director. The Board also includes all the GPA Non-Executive Directors as below:

  • Jonathan Thompson
  • Carol Bernard CBE
  • Roger Blundell
  • Helen Gillett
  • Ronen Journo
  • Hannah Gray

The Board is supported by three Board Sub-Committees, the Audit & Risk Committee, the Investment Committee and the Culture and Remunerations Committee.

The Director General Government Property in the Office of Government Property is the Senior Sponsor and has oversight of the policy objectives that the GPA is required to deliver. UK Government Investments (UKGI) undertakes the role of Shareholder Representative on behalf of the Cabinet Office. UKGI is responsible for promoting corporate governance, leadership and performance. Additionally, to promote collaboration, Cabinet Office finance representatives sit on the Investment Committee.

The Executive Committee is responsible for delivering the Corporate Strategy and Business Plan set by the Board and for managing the GPA day to day.