Advisory Committee on Business Appointments published conditions for Mike Potter’s role at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, as well as Sir Alex Chisholm’s at BT and Sir Gareth Rhys Williams’s at PurpleSector
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) has published advice letters for former senior civil servants seeking to take new jobs in the private sector, including former government chief digital officer Mike Potter.
Potter was appointed as GCDO in July 2022 and stepped down in September 2024 to focus on his recovery from cancer.
Earlier this year he sought advice from Acoba on taking a role as an expert advisor on cyber resilience to US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). The committee said there was no direct overlap between his job in government and working for KKR and he had not met the firm or been involved in decisions affecting it while in government service. It set conditions including that he should not be involved in lobbying the UK government or provide advice on any government bids for two years after leaving the civil service.
Related content
Sir Alex Chisholm, former permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office and chief operating officer for the Civil Service, sought advice from Acoba for a number of appointments including an independent non-executive directorship at BT Group. Acoba noted he was accounting officer at the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy when it made decisions about working with BT, but that this was seven years ago. It sought confirmation of Sir Alex’s intention not to influence government policy and said he should not undertake any work advising on bids by BT for government funding or contracts.
Acoba also published advice given to Sir Gareth Rhys Williams, former government chief commercial officer at the Cabinet Office, regarding a non-executive directorship at engineering consultancy PurpleSector. The committee noted the company does not have a particular interest in working with government clients but set some conditions on his work for two years after leaving the civil service.
In July, the government announced that Acoba would be abolished on 13 October, with its work split between the Civil Service Commission and the prime minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards.