Rosie Glazebrook, chair of the Copyright Licensing Agency, has been appointed interim first civil service commissioner while a recruitment campaign to fill the position permanently continues.
Glazebrook, who has been a commissioner since June 2017, will take over from Ian Watmore when his five-year term as first civil service commissioner ends in October.
The search for Watmore’s replacement began last month, with the Cabinet Office seeking someone who understands government and the civil service but is “demonstrably independent of both” for the £89,000-a-year role.
The successful applicant will be the public face of the commission, which safeguards civil service impartiality and ensures civil service recruitment is fair and open. They will chair most recruitment competitions for top civil service posts, including permanent secretaries.
As well as chairing the CLA and its associated company Publishers’ Licensing Services, Glazebrook sits on the General Optical Council and chairs a NHS Research Ethics Committee.
In the past, she has held several board and non-executive director roles at the Food Standards Agency and in NHS, regulatory and commissioning bodies, and has worked for media, publishing and health data companies.
An announcement about the first civil service commissioner appointment is expected “in due course”, the Cabinet Office said. Applications closed earlier this month.
The preferred candidate for the role will then undergo a pre-appointment hearing held by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee of MPs.