THREE external members have been appointed to the board of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) for the first time since its formation.
The appointment of non civil servants to the board, which provides strategic direction and organisational oversight, was a key recommendation of a 2021 Stormont report which identified the need for an "array of cultural, structural and operational changes".
The three new non-executive appointees – investment banker Patrick Magee, human resources specialist Laura McKeaveney and economist Frances Ruane – will each receive £12,000 annually for a commitment of up to 20 days a year.
They join representatives from the nine Stormont departments and chair Jayne Brady, head of the regional civil service.
An independent report by business advisers PwC made public last month showed that failings within the civil service exposed by the RHI inquiry were still commonplace at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).
Ms Brady said the new board members were joining "at a pivotal time".
"They will support us as we address the challenges and grasp the opportunities ahead," she said.
“Making positive change goes beyond individual departments and requires working across organisational boundaries, with a range of people and perspectives. The appointment of external board members is a significant step on our journey of continuous improvement.
Mr Magee was previously chief commercial officer at the British Business Bank and managing director at JP Morgan Cazenove.
Laura McKeaveney most recently worked for Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis, while Frances Ruane was previously a director of the Republic's Economic and Social Research Institute.
