The Crown Commercial Service's interim chief executive Malcolm Harrison has been given the job on a permanent basis, it has been confirmed.
Harrison has been serving as CEO of the Cabinet Office agency in charge of government procurement since May of this year, succeeding Sally Collier who has moved on to become chief regulator at exams watchdog Ofqual.
In a statement published on Thursday, CCS announced that Harrison – who spent four years as chief procurement officer for food and drink manufacturer Nestlé – had now been "substantively appointed" chief exec.
National Audit Office to review Crown Commercial Service progress
Crown Commercial chief Sally Collier on her move to Ofqual: I don't always say 'Yes, minister'
Crown Commercial Service's Matt Denham hails savings progress – and vows to "encourage disruption"
Civil service chief executive John Manzoni said Harrison had been "key in transforming the way CCS operates; cutting waste and saving taxpayers’ money."
"I am pleased he will continue to lead the transformation of government procurement and provide continuity and stability for CCS," Manzoni added.
Harrison will formally become the CCS chief on November 1, and said in a statement: "I am delighted to be appointed chief executive of CCS. It is a key time for CCS, our employees and customers. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to lead a great group of people through the significant process of transformation that is underway."
Before becoming interim CEO at the CCS, Harrison was a senior commercial adviser to the organisation. As well as his four-year stint at Nestlé, Harrison's private sector roles include vice president for global procurement at brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev and operations director at soft drinks firm Britvic.
CCS – set up as an executive agency of the Cabinet Office and run as a trading fund – took on several functions from departments when it was established in 2014, including managing supplier relationships, data analysis and category management.
In the organisation's latest annual report, it was revealed that the organisation is looking to shift from a funding model that sees it charge departments for an end-to-end procurement service in favour of one which charges higher levies to suppliers themselves.
"We will begin to phase-out the current system of charging government departments a managed service fee, instead using supplier levy income to fund our operating costs," the report said.
The CCS's report promised to "re-align resources" to support the move to the new model. CCS has been asked to help central government departments make between £240m and £330m in savings over the next year.