Decision

Advice letter: Richard Wardlaw, Impact Group Facilitator, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Published 19 February 2025

1. BUSINESS APPOINTMENT APPLICATION: Lieutenant General Richard Wardlaw OBE, former Chief of Defence Logistics and Support at UK Strategic Command, Ministry of Defence. Paid appointment with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Lieutenant General Richard Wardlaw OBE (Lt Gen Wardlaw) 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 role with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford as an Impact Group Facilitator.

The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the government. The Committee has considered the risks associated with the actions and decisions made during Lt Gen Wardlaw’s time in office, alongside the information and influence he may offer Saïd Business School. 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 set out that Crown servants must abide by the Committee’s advice^{[footnote 1]}. 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

Saïd Business School is the University of Oxford’s school of management studies. It is contracted by the Cabinet Office to deliver the Major Project Leadership Academy (MPLA). The MLPA educates government officials in how to deliver major government programmes as Senior Responsible Officers (SROs). Lt Gen Wardlaw was a graduate of the MLPA in 2017, and said he plans to use his skills and experience in running large, complex programmes to train and educate the next generation of SROs in promoting the effective and efficient delivery of major UK government programmes.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed that Lt Gen Wardlaw had no official dealings with Saïd Business School during his time as Chief of Defence Logistics; he made no decisions specific to the organisation; and there is no departmental relationship between the MOD and Saïd Business School. The Committee^{[footnote 2]} noted the contract sits outside of the MOD, with the Cabinet Office, and considered the risk this appointment could reasonably be perceived as a reward for decisions made or actions taken in office was low.

As the most senior official at the MOD responsible for logistics, he will have had access to a range of generally sensitive information, none of which is specific to his proposed role as a tutor at Saïd Business School. Additionally, it is relevant that Lt Gen Wardlaw has been out of office for seven months and the academic nature of this appointment limits the risks associated with his access to information.

There are inherent risks associated with any senior official leaving government and their Lt Gen Wardlaw contacts and potential influence within government. The Committee agreed with the MOD that the risk of undue access or influence here is low, given the teaching nature of this appointment.

3. The Committee’s advice

The Committee did not consider this appointment raises any specific proprietary concerns under the government’s Rules. There are inherent risks associated with Lt Gen Wardlaw’s access to sensitive information and contacts, which are appropriately mitigated by the standard conditions below.

In accordance with the government’s Business Appointment Rules, the Committee advises that this role with Saïd Business School be subject to the following conditions:

• he should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of himself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service;
• for two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or its arm’s length bodies on behalf of Saïd Business School (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); nor should he make use, directly or indirectly, of his contacts in the government and/or ministerial office to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage Saïd Business School (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); and
• for two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not undertake any work with Saïd Business School (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) that involves providing advice 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 its arm’s length bodies.

The advice and the conditions under the government’s Business Appointment Rules relate to your 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 Civil Service Code or otherwise.

The Business Appointment Rules explain that the restriction on lobbying means that the former Crown servant/Minister ‘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.’

Please inform us as soon as Lt Gen Wardlaw takes up employment with this organisation. Please also inform us if he proposes to extend or otherwise change the nature of his role as, depending on the circumstances, it may be necessary for him to make a fresh application. Once the appointment has been publicly announced or taken up, we will publish this letter on the Committee’s website, and where appropriate, refer to it in the relevant annual report.

4. Annex - Material Information

4.1 The role

Saïd Business School is the University of Oxford’s school of management. It offers postgraduate degrees programmes such as MBAs and Masters of Science in Major Programme Management and Global Health Leadership. It is contracted by the Cabinet office to deliver the Major Project Leadership Academy (MPLA). Lt Gen Wardlaw participated in the MLPA in 2016-17.

In his paid, part-time role as Impact Group Facilitator, Lt Gen Wardlaw stated that his responsibilities will be as follows:

• Supporting small tutor groups of 4-5 students, drawn from civil servants and Officers across Whitehall and the MOD, who are on the MPLA course.
• Facilitate the students’ self-reflection and learning, to ensure they gain the most from their education and return to their responsibilities as Major Programme Senior Responsible Officers (SRO), better able to deliver programme success.

He stated that given his experience of running large, complex programmes, it will be valuable for him to use this to train and educate the next generation of SROs in promoting the effective and efficient delivery of major UK government programmes. Lt Gen Wardlaw stated that his role will not have contact with the MOD or wider UK government.

4.2 Dealings in office

Lt Gen Wardlaw advised the Committee that he did not meet with Saïd Business School in his role as Chief of Defence Logistics; nor did he make any policy, regulatory, commercial or operational decisions specific to the organisation, beyond participating in the MLPA several years ago.  

4.3 Departmental Assessment

The MOD confirmed the details Lt Gen Wardlaw provided:

• he was not involved in any policy or decisions specific to Saïd Business School;
• he does not have access to sensitive information specific to the organisation;
• the department does not have a relationship with the organisation;
• there is no concern around unfair access to the MOD as his role will not involve contact with the MOD.

The MOD did not have concerns regarding Lt Gen Wardlaw’s appointment and recommended the standard conditions.

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 Andrew Cumpsty; Isabel Doverty; Hedley Finn OBE; Sarah de Gay; The Baroness Jones of Whitchurch; Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE DL; The Rt Hon Lord Eric Pickles; Michael Prescott; and Mike Weir. ↩

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 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. ↩