Sir Nicholas Montagu
European Business Speaker of the Year 2006

After leaving Oxford, where he studied classics and philosophy, Nick Montagu lectured in philosophy at the University of Reading for seven years. Joining the Civil Service at 30, Nick held a couple of health policy posts in the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), before being seconded to the Cabinet Secretariat. He returned to the social security side of DHSS, undertaking one of the early “Rayner” efficiency scrutinies, and subsequently headed the secretariat for the Pensions Inquiry, which spearheaded the social security reviews of 1983-86.

Nick headed the pensions and personnel divisions of DHSS, moving to the new Department of Social Security when the DHSS was split in 1988. He became head of personnel, finance and planning, leading the establishment of the major executive agencies under the “Next Steps” programme. From 1992 to 1997 he was at the Department of Transport, overseeing the privatisation of the railways and the competition to build the fast rail link to the Channel Tunnel.

After a brief spell heading the Economic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, Nick became Chairman of the Inland Revenue, following an open competition, in 1997. He was Chairman until his retirement in March 2004, leading the Revenue through the greatest changes in its history, as it became a social as well as a tax-collecting Department and developed its e-services. He was also the Permanent Secretary Diversity Champion for the whole Civil Service, and chaired the Civil Service Benevolent Fund.

Since his retirement, Nick has been a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Advisory Panel, a director of the pensions company Xafinity and of the Pensions Corporation, and Chairman of the Aviva UK Life With-Profits Committee. He is giving up the latter two appointments to become Chairman of the Financial Ombudsman Service from February 2012; he is also Chairman of Council at Queen Mary, University of London, and Chair of the Committee of University Chairs. In addition, Nick has undertaken numerous consultancy and speaking engagements, including work with overseas governments; coaching for senior executives contemplating a portfolio career; and writing on a wide range of public administration issues.

Nick Montagu holds honorary doctorates from Middlesex, Bradford and Reading (to be conferred 2012) Universities, and was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 2001, having previously been a Companion of the Order (CB).

Nick is an exceptionally experienced and effective public speaker, making around 70 speeches a year during his time at the Revenue. From serious conference occasions, to lighter after-dinner ones, he can speak absorbingly and wittily about his experiences under very different Ministers and in very different jobs, and the lessons he draws from them. Unlike many civil servants, he has always regarded strong contacts with the private sector as critical to his success, and his themes reflect this:

Leadership: Whatever your organisation, leadership means telling people what you want and why, and where they fit into it. Your most junior manager cuts more ice in their unit than you do - lead from the top, but you can't lead alone. People will go with you if they know you're there for them: one of the leader's most formidable weapons is being open about failures, apologising and drawing the lessons for the future.

Transforming the Revenue: The lessons of managing change are the same wherever you work. You must create the vision and take people along with it. But you must keep on - it's better to bore people than let them think it was flavour of the month. Show what change can do for them and how vital they are in it. Challenge the myths - "We own the tax system" and "Most taxpayers are crooks." - and take it from there.

Strategic partnerships with Government: You must recognise each other's imperatives - your IT partner needs to make a commercial turn, so resist the temptation to pay peanuts. The key to success is shared incentives and rock-solid partnership at all levels in the organisation.

Corporate governance: The rules for public and private bodies may be different, but the aims are the same. Clarity and effective risk identification and management are the key. So too are appropriate incentives - people are quick to see any inconsistencies in management systems, which undermine the rhetoric.

Nick's honours include honorary doctorates recognising his work, and appointment by The Prince of Wales as his first-ever public sector Ambassador for Business in the Community. He was voted Personality of the Year by "Accountancy Age" readers - a rare accolade for a Revenue Chairman from the accountants.

Testimonials

"I wanted to thank you for the fantastic speech you gave at East Thames Group’s staff conference recently. We have had some really positive feedback on the event, including many comments from staff saying how much they enjoyed your speech and how they found it highly relevant to their work. It was really inspiring to hear from someone who has had so much success in  working to improve customer services by embracing diversity and creating a more customer-focussed culture."
June Barnes, Group Chief Executive, East Thames, May 2009

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