Rod Aldridge

Rod Aldridge is an entrepreneur with over 40 years experience of working in the public and private sectors.

He is the founder of the Capita Group retiring in July 2006 as Chairman. Subsequently he established The Aldridge Foundation to continue his work on public service reform and to focus on his charitable activities.

• Educational underachievement & Social Exclusion
• Public Service Reform Partnership and Development
• Community Engagement

Foreign & Commonwealth Office Services

Non-executive Director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services

Organisation

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Services is an Executive Agency operating on business lines and in many instances competing with commercial companies to give value for money to achieve its goal of being the FCO’s preferred supplier.

It delivers over 130 products and services covering; Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Communications, Technical and Protective Security, Estate and Property Management, Logistics and Purchasing, Translation and Interpreting, Technical and Language Training, VIP visits and Conference and Event management in the UK and overseas, (including the recent G8 and EU Presidency).

Its prime purpose is in providing support services to the FCO. As such, it assists the FCO in meeting most of its public service agreements.

The Agency is financed through the Government supply process and is on the FCO's vote.

Structure

FCO Services comprises approximately 1,150 staff and, in 2005/06, had a turnover in the order of £145 million.  It operates from five sites in the UK; Hanslope Park, Croydon and Old Admiralty Building, King Charles St and Lancaster House in London.  There are also around 100 FCO Services staff serving at FCO Posts overseas. Staff are mainly home civil servants, supplemented by others from the Diplomatic Service.

FCO Services generates around 15% of its revenue by delivering services to non-FCO customers, mainly other Government Departments including HM Revenue and Customs, the Security Services, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and the Cabinet Office.

Governance Structure

The responsibility for the Agency rests with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (SOSFA).

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (PUSS) for the FCO is responsible to the SOSFA for setting the strategic direction of FCO Services.  On behalf of SOSFA, the PUSS will:

• Determine the policy and financial framework within which FCO Services operates;
• Approve the FCO Services Strategic Plan;
• Set goals, key performance indicators and targets;
• Monitor and assess FCO Services' overall performance.

The Chief Executive is accountable to the PUSS for the performance of FCO Services and to the PUSS on matters relating to the management, regularity and propriety of the agency and its financial performance. Reporting is via the FCO’s Director General (Corporate Affairs).

PUSS will be advised on matters relating to the strategic management of the Agency by the FCO Services Ministerial Advisory Board (MAB), which the PUSS chairs. From 1 January 2007 Rod Aldridge was appointed a Non-Executive Director of MAB.

For the press release announcing Rod's appoitment to the FCO Services board click here.