HR director general at the Department for Work and Pensions Chris Last has been appointed head of government HR operations.

The role, which is in addition to his departmental responsibilities, includes cross-government responsibility for HR professionalism and talent management, as well as performance management of HR across government.

Ian Watmore, chief operating officer in the Cabinet Office, says: “I am delighted to welcome Chris Last to his new role. He has proven a successful leader of HR in the Department for Work and Pensions, and we are delighted to use his expertise to continue to strengthen HR across government.

“This appointment is a key part of the new model for government HR operations. It will ensure we are able to continue to build HR capability and ensure quality of service to our HR operations, in both our central arrangements and in our respective departments.”

I am really pleased to be able to take on this new role. It is a challenging but important time for the development of government HR. I look forward to working with my colleagues across government to continue to deliver this ambitious programme