Ministers confirm appointment of new Acas Council members
Nicola Smith and Dave Penman have been appointed by ministers as worker members of the Acas Council.
Ministers at the Department for Business and Trade have confirmed the appointment of two new members to the Council of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) today.
Acas is an independent public body which provides free and impartial advice to employers, employees and their representatives on, employment rights, best practice and policies, and resolving workplace conflict.
It is governed by a Council which determines the organisation’s strategic direction, policies and priorities, with council members appointed based on their professional expertise in either business or trade unions.
Nicola Smith and Dave Penman have been added to the council as worker members.
Biographies
Nicola Smith
- Nicola has been Director or Policy at the Trade Union Congress since 2024. She was previously the Head of Rights, Social and Economic Affairs from 2023 to 2024; Interim Chief Executive, Timewise, from 2022 to 2023; and Assistant Director, Stakeholder Engagement, The Nursing and Midwifery Council, from 2020 to 2022. Nicola is also a Labour Market Advisory Board Member.
Dave Penman
- Dave has been General Secretary of the FDA since 2012, having joined as a National Officer in 2000. He has also been a member of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) General Council since 2012; and TUC Executive Committee since 2023. He is a Member of the TUC Finance Committee and a TUC Trustee.