The Department for Enterprise has confirmed that its current chief executive officer, Mark Lewin, is to remain in post.

Only a few weeks ago it was announced that Mr Lewin was to return to the Cabinet Office with the hunt for a new Chief Executive for DfE said to be underway.

Alfred Cannan MHK, Chief Minister and current Minister for Enterprise, commented: ‘We are hitting a pivotal time for our Island Plan with the completion of the new economic strategy due in the coming weeks. I have asked Mark Lewin to return to the department full time in order to provide stability, and to support the economic strategy and all the major initiatives that will flow from that.’

The Chief Minister continued: ‘I am also very keen to continue to support the executive agency model and have asked Mark to work with the four executive agency boards to look at ways to give them more autonomy and control, freeing them up further from some of the confines they find placed upon them as a direct function of the department.’

Mr Lewin added: ‘I am really pleased to be able to focus once again full time on the hugely important and diverse work that the department does, especially at such a critical time. I am also looking forward to continuing working with the executive agencies to help them take their sectors and our whole economy forward.’