The Government has reappointed Sir John Armitt as chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) for a further two years.
Julia Prescot has been appointed deputy chair, ‘following consultation with the chair’.
The Treasury said this will ensure continuity as the organisation prepares the next National Infrastructure Assessment, due in the autumn.
Sir John (right of picture) has been chair of the NIC since 2018, before which he was deputy chairman, and a commissioner since the NIC was established in 2015.
Ms Prescot (pictured below, right), who has been a commissioner since 2017, is a co-founder and chief strategy officer of Meridiam, a leading global investor and asset manager specialising in public infrastructure.
She is an honorary professor at the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, University College London and deputy chair of the Port of Tyne.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: ‘I am very pleased to reappoint Sir John Armitt as chair of the National Infrastructure Commission. Sir John’s extensive engineering and major project delivery expertise is hugely valuable, and I look forward to continuing to work with him to deliver sustainable economic growth across the UK.
‘I am also very happy that Sir John will be joined by Julia Prescot, who has been appointed as deputy chair, to jointly lead the organisation as they prepare for the next National Infrastructure Assessment.’
Sir John said: ‘Chairing the Commission is both a great privilege and a serious responsibility, offering impartial, expert advice to government on the role of infrastructure in helping solve some of the UK’s biggest economic and environmental challenges.
‘I welcome Julia’s appointment as deputy chair, which will assist our preparations for the next National Infrastructure Assessment in particular. Together, we and our fellow commissioners look forward to presenting the assessment to ministers and working with them, alongside others in the public and private sectors, to ensure our infrastructure is ready to face the future.”
Sir John’s new appointment period will end in January 2025 and Ms Prescot’s term will end in April 2027.
The Treasury said the chancellor intends to launch a competition to appoint a new NIC commissioner to replace Bridget Rosewell, who stepped down following her appointment as a non-executive director of the UK Infrastructure Bank. .
