Martin Donnelly, who has served as the joint permanent secretary for the United Kingdom’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy since its inception in July, announced Monday he will step down to establish the new Department of International Trade. Alex Chisholm, who served with Donnelly in the joint role, became the sole permanent secretary for BEIS on Monday.
“I want to thank Sir Martin Donnelly for his years of service at the department, and wish him the very best in his new role. I look forward to working with Alex Chisholm as he leads the vital work of the new department in forging our industrial strategy, leading the government’s relationship with business, furthering our world-class science base, delivering affordable clean energy and tackling climate change,” Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark said in a release.
BEIS took shape following Theresa May’s appointment as the U.K.’s prime minister after David Cameron stepped down in the wake of the United Kingdom’s June 23 referendum vote to exit the European Union. The “Brexit” threw world markets into turmoil and raised questions about what role EU policies will have in the U.K. after the transition, which will take at least two years to complete.
In the days following her appointment, May shook up her Cabinet, folding the nation’s Department of Energy and Climate Change into the new BEIS, and naming then-Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government Clark as the secretary of state for the new department.