Press release

New leader of the Office for Civil Society

Gareth Davies, the Director of Strategy Unit, has been appointed as the new Head of the Office for Civil Society.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Gareth Davies, the Director of Strategy Unit, has been appointed as the new Head of the Office for Civil Society in a move to join up leadership of these Cabinet Office units with a key role in driving the Big Society agenda.

Gareth’s appointment will directly engage the Strategy Unit’s Behavioural Insights team with Office for Civil Society teams, developing new ideas to encourage volunteering and philanthropy.

Gareth will take over from Rolande Anderson who has led the government’s policy team for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises through significant reform over the past year. Rolande is leaving the civil service at the end of her year’s loan to the Cabinet Office. 

Ian Watmore, Chief Operating Officer, said:

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Rolande for the excellent job she has done in seeing through the transition of the OCS through to the Spending Review and successfully leading the early development of the new government’s Big Society agenda, for which ministers are extremely appreciative.  We wish Rolande the best of luck in her new life outside of the civil service and congratulate Gareth on this new leadership role.

Rolande Anderson, the out-going Head of the Office for Civil Society said: 

I have really enjoyed this year, building the new Office for Civil Society, leading this great team through the Spending Review, and working on this key government agenda with the Voluntary and Community Sector and Social Enterprise. As my year here draws to a close, I will be off to pursue different challenges and hope to continue doing my bit for the Big Society in the housing sector and elsewhere.

Gareth Davies, Director of Strategy Unit and Head of the Office for Civil Society said:

‘I am looking forward to taking responsibility for the government’s ambitious agenda for opening up public services, encouraging social action and giving more power to local communities by bringing together the best of the Strategy Unit and the Office for Civil Society.’

Gareth joins the Office for Civil Society on 1 November, and there will be a short handover period with Rolande. Gareth has worked in both the public and private sector, including as senior policy advisor in Downing Street on pensions and welfare and as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

CAB 188/10

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Published 1 November 2010