shareholder executive

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The Shareholder Executive was set up in September 2003 to work with shareholder departments in Government to improve fundamentally the Government’s capabilities and performance as a shareholder.

The Shareholder Executive’s current remit covers 28 businesses (from organisations as large as the Royal Mail to smaller businesses like the UK Hydrographic Office) and spans 12 government departments. We are also responsible for project managing the Asset Management & Sales strand of the Government’s Operational Efficiency Programme, working jointly with HMT. This currently covers over 20 assets across Government, 8 of which are already part of the Shareholder Executive’s remit. We are also in the process of establishing a Property Unit which will provide a central source of property advice across the public sector identifying surplus assets ands acting as a source of expertise and support on complex land and property transactions.

Our role is to be a proactive, intelligent shareholder, working with government departments and management teams to help government-owned businesses perform better. We advise Ministers and officials on a wide range of shareholder issues including objectives, governance, strategy, performance monitoring, board appointments and remuneration. Our goal is to create a climate of ownership that, while challenging, is genuinely supportive, and provides the framework for its businesses to be successful.

We also have a wider role as a corporate finance resource within Government. This is applied beyond the portfolio of government-owned businesses. This includes the appraisal and negotiation of financial assistance to companies in the UK and provision of financial, analytical and negotiation support to Ministers and Departments in their dealings with companies. For example we provide corporate finance advice on major initiatives to a range of departmental clients across government in the following areas: Financial interventions; Launch Investment; Rescue and Restructuring Aid; Grant for Business Investment; and Commercial advice on key third party relationships.