Andrew Witty, chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline Plc, has been appointed the lead non-executive board member at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), effective 1 January 2011.
Headed by Secretary of State Vince Cable, the BIS was formed in June 2009 through the merger of two UK government departments. It currently has a budget of £18.6 billion and a staff of 2,700. Its primary task is to promote UK business.
In a prepared statement, Dr Cable said “I’ve always said that I want Britain to be open for business and for BIS to be the Department for growth. Andrew’s wealth of experience in business will be invaluable to making sure that that’s exactly what happens.”
To avoid any potential for conflict of interest, Mr Witty will not see papers or be involved in discussions relating to pharmaceutical issues.
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