Decision

Advice letter: Stuart Skeates, commission with Orgvue Limited

Updated 30 September 2025

1. BUSINESS APPOINTMENT APPLICATION: Lieutenant General Stuart Richard Skeates, CB, CBE, former Director General, Illegal Migration Operations Command and Senior Responsible Officer for the UK/Albania Migration Agreement, Migration and Borders Group at the Home Office. Paid commission with Orgvue Limited under your independent consultancy – Barchester Skeates Associates Limited. 

You sought advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (the Committee) under the government’s Business Appointment Rules for former Crown servants (the Rules) on taking up a commission with Orgvue Limited (Orgvue) under your independent consultancy, Barchester Skeates Associates Limited.

The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the government. Under the Rules, the Committee’s remit is to consider the risks associated with the actions and decisions taken during your time in government service, alongside the information and influence a former Crown servant may offer Orgvue. The material information taken into consideration by the Committee is set out in the annex.

The Committee’s advice is not an endorsement of the appointment – it imposes a number of conditions to mitigate the potential risks to the government associated with the appointment under the Rules.

The Rules^{[footnote 1]} set out that Crown servants must abide by the Committee’s advice. It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to manage the propriety of any appointment. Former Crown servants are expected to uphold the highest standards of propriety and act in accordance with the 7 Principles of Public Life. 

2. The Committee’s consideration of the risks presented 

Orgvue is a software platform used for organisational design and workforce planning. As a consultant, your proposed commission with Orgvue involves providing strategic advice and support to the Executive Leadership Team on its HR data offering for the defence sector. The Committee^{[footnote 2]} therefore considered this commission to be broadly consistent with the description of your consultancy – providing generalist advisory work in the defence and security sector. 

Orgvue has several contracts across the UK government, primarily for workforce analytics and related services, including with the Home Office Digital, Data and Technology. You did not meet with Orgvue, nor were you involved in any decisions specific to the company whilst you were in government service. Therefore, the Committee considered the risk this work could reasonably be perceived as a reward for decisions made in office is low. 

Your role at the Home Office was focussed on UK border security, national security and international cooperation surrounding the subject matter – not in defence or technology. The Home Office does not consider you to possess any specific information or insight that could offer Orgvue an unfair advantage. However, Orgvue provides advisory services to a range of clients, alongside its software. As its clients now and in the future are unknown, there is a risk, albeit limited, that it may advise a company with an interest in work that overlaps with your most recent role in government service. 

Given your role will be focussed on advising Orgvue on its HR data offering for the defence sector, there is a reasonable concern that you may be seen to offer Orgvue unfair access to the government as a result of your privileged access to contacts and influence within Crown service. The Committee considered it significant that you and Orgvue confirmed you will have no dealings with the UK government in this work and your role will be compliant with the Committee’s advice and the conditions below. 

The Committee also took into account that it has been over three years since you worked in Defence and you have extensive experience prior to your time at the Home Office in leadership and command on military operations and joint operations with NATO and other allied militaries.

3. The Committee’s advice 

There is a limited risk you may be asked to advise Orgvue on matters that overlap with your access to information and responsibilities in office The Committee therefore imposed a restriction to prevent you from doing so. 

It is significant that Orgvue confirmed its understanding of, and adherence to, the Committee’s advice and in particular that you would not be involved in any lobbying of the UK government. 

The Committee determined the remaining risks identified can be appropriately mitigated by the conditions which apply to your independent consultancy, as set out below. These make it clear that you must not make use of privileged contacts, information or influence gained from your time in government service to the unfair advantage of Orgvue under your independent consultancy, Barchester Skeates Associates Limited. 

Taking into account these factors in accordance with the government’s Business Appointment Rules, the Committee advises this commission with Orgvue Limited under your independent consultancy, Barchester Skeates Associates Limited be subject to the below conditions:

• you should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of yourself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to you from your time in Crown service;
• for two years from your last day in Crown service, you should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or any of its arm’s length bodies on behalf of Orgvue Limited (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); nor should you make use, directly or indirectly, of your contacts in the government and/or Crown service to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage Orgvue Limited (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); 
• for two years from your last day in Crown service, you should not provide advice to or on behalf of Orgvue Limited (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) on the terms of, or with regard to the subject matter of, a bid with, or contract relating directly to the work of the UK government or any of its arm’s length bodies;
• for two years from your last day in Crown service, you should not advise Orgvue Limited (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) regarding any policy or operational matter you had specific involvement in or responsibility for as Director General, Illegal Migrations Command (where you were also Senior Responsible Officer for the Sovereign Borders Programme; Senior Responsible Officer for the New Detained Accommodation Programme; and Senior Responsible Officer for the UK/Albania Migration Agreement), nor where you had a relationship with the relevant client in Crown service;
• for two years from your last day in Crown service, you should not become personally involved in lobbying contacts you developed during your time in office and in other governments and organisations for the purpose of securing business for Orgvue Limited; and 
• for two years from your last day in Crown service, before accepting any commissions for Barchester Skeates Associates Limited and or/before extending or otherwise changing the nature of your commissions, you should seek advice from the Committee. The Committee will decide whether each commission is consistent with the terms of the consultancy and consider any relevant factors under the Business Appointment Rules. 

The advice and the conditions under the government’s Business Appointment Rules relate to an applicant’s previous role in government only; they are separate from rules administered by other bodies such as the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Registrar of Lords’ Interests^{[footnote 3]}. It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to understand any other rules and regulations they may be subject to in parallel with this Committee’s advice.

By ‘privileged information’ we mean official information to which a minister or Crown servant has had access as a consequence of his or her office or employment and which has not been made publicly available. Applicants are also reminded that they may be subject to other duties of confidentiality, whether under the Official Secrets Act, the Ministerial Code/Civil Service Code or otherwise.

The Business Appointment Rules explain that the restriction on lobbying means that the former Crown servant; should not engage in communication with government (ministers, civil servants, including special advisers, and other relevant officials/public office holders) – wherever it takes place – with a view to influencing a government decision, policy or contract award/grant in relation to their own interests or the interests of the organisation by which they are employed, or to whom they are contracted or with which they hold office.’

You must inform us as soon as you take up this work or if it is announced that you will do so. Similarly, you must inform us if you propose to extend or otherwise change your role with the organisation as depending on the circumstances, it might be necessary for you to seek fresh advice.

Once this appointment has been publicly announced or taken up, we will publish this letter on the Committee’s website.

4. Annex – Material Information 

4.1 The role

You stated this is a commission under Barchester Skeates Associates Limited, which provides generalist advisory work in the defence and security sector. You confirmed that work taken up under your consultancy will not involve contact with, or lobbying of, the UK government. 

Orgvue is a software platform used for organisational design and workforce planning. Orgvue provides tools for visualising organisational structures, analysing workforce data, and modeling different scenarios. It helps organisations understand their current state, identify potential issues, and plan for the future. You stated your role as consultant involves providing support and strategic advice to Orgvue’s Executive Leadership Team on their HR data offering for Defence. 

Orgvue has several contracts across the UK government, primarily for workforce analytics and related services. These contracts are often awarded through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) frameworks, like G-Cloud, and involve providing licenses, support, and strategic workforce planning tools.

You stated it has been over three years since you worked in defence. You have leadership experience from military operations and in joint operations with various coalitions – the US Marine Corps and NATO.  You also previously held the role of Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst^{[footnote 4]} and Deputy Commander of JFC Brunssum^{[footnote 5]}.

4.2 Correspondence with Orgvue

Orgvue confirmed in writing its understanding of, and agreement to, comply with the Committee’s advice. It confirmed your role will not involve lobbying. 

4.3 Dealings in office

You advised the Committee that you did not meet with, nor were you involved in decisions specific to Orgvue, nor had access to sensitive information that could provide an unfair advantage to the company. 

4.4 Departmental assessment 

The Home Office stated that in your role as Director General, Illegal Migration Operations Command (where you were also Senior Responsible Officer for the Sovereign Borders Programme, Senior Responsible Officer for the New Detained Accommodation Programme and Senior Responsible Officer for the UK/Albania Migration Agreement), you were not involved in decisions nor did you possess sensitive information that may provide an unfair advantage to Orgvue. 

The Home Office did not have concerns with the appointment provided it is subject to the standard conditions and a restriction on lobbying contacts gained in external governments and organisations for the purpose of securing business for Orgvue. 

The Home Office also recommended a limitation on your role to prevent you from working on matters or with clients that you had direct involvement with in office.

obligations under the Code can be sought from the Parliamentary Commissioners for Standards, in

the case of MPs, or the Registrar of Lords’ Interests, in the case of peers.

1. Which apply by virtue of the Civil Service Management Code, The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, The King’s Regulations and the Diplomatic Service Code. ↩

2. This application for advice was considered by Isabel Doverty; Hedley Finn OBE;  Sarah de Gay; Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE DL; Michael Prescott and The Baroness Thornton. ↩

3. All Peers and Members of Parliament are prevented from paid lobbying under the House of Commons Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords. Advice on ↩

4. https://www.gov.uk/government/people/stuart-skeates ↩

5. The Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum is a NATO headquarters that includes the United Kingdom as a framework nation. The JFC Brunssum is responsible for planning, executing, and supporting military operations in its assigned area. ↩