HMRC sets-up Transformation Business Group to deliver tax strategy

HMRC is creating a Transformation Business Group, which will be led by Joanna Rowland in a new Director General role, to implement the organisation's 10-year tax strategy.

The new transformation group will have three core functions:

• directly delivering our major cross-cutting programmes, while ensuring collaboration across HMRC’s other business groups
• exercising oversight and coordination of the portfolio, both the major changes and the range of projects that will continue to be delivered from other business groups
• leading HMRC’s project delivery function, setting standards and ensuring project professionals are trained, developed and perform to those standards

HMRC’s Executive Committee will work with senior change leads across the department to agree which programmes require the dedicated oversight of this new group.

While the group gets established, its remit will focus on establishing the standards all projects will work to, continuing to oversee the COVID-related projects and taking leadership of the flagship Making Tax Digital programme.

"Over the last few months, HMRC has rightly won plaudits for the work we have done to support customers and the UK economy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve been proud to lead our response and thrilled to see the can-do attitude of our people that has helped us achieve so much in such a short period of time," said Rowland. "I want to carry this energy forward into the longer-term transformation of our department to meet the challenges ahead as we recover and reshape our economy in the post-Brexit world and create a world-leading digital tax and customs authority."

Key to the successful implementation of HMRC's long term strategy will be the ability to lay out, in a clear multi-year roadmap, the combination of policy, process, people and IT changes we need to make.

The new Transformation Group will support and enable the direct delivery of major cross-cutting programmes together with oversight and coordination of a portfolio of wider change projects which, together, move us forward.

Rowland has headed the HMRC programme and project management profession since January 2018 and became interim Director General for their Covid-19 response last August, leading the implementation of the Chancellor’s packages to support businesses and jobs such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

"I’m delighted to announce Jo’s appointment, which is critical for delivering the support our customers need in these exceptionally busy and challenging times and will be key in helping us to build trust in our administration of tax and customs," said Angela MacDonald, HMRC's Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, who Rowland will report to. "She has done an incredible job leading the delivery of the COVID-19 support schemes over the past few months and has substantial previous experience in leading transformation programmes across government."