Government's chief executive Andy Ralphs resigns

The chief executive officer for the Isle of Man's government has resigned.

Andy Ralphs, who has held the position since November 2023, said he had made the decision due to a family bereavement.

Mr Ralphs will leave his post on 31 March, with Mark Lewin, chief officer for the Department for Enterprise, set to take on the post in an interim capacity from 1 April.

The departing Mr Ralphs said it had been a "privilege" to serve in the role and it had "not been an easy decision to reach".

"Following the bereavement of a close family member I need to take some time out before moving on to a new challenge, and importantly will continue to live and contribute to the island that is now my home," he said.

The role is the most senior civil servant in the government, and serves as the principal advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers.

The post also leads the Public Service and, in September, Chief Minister Alfred Cannan announced the chief executive would be tasked with delivering a plan to make £10m of savings, not including healthcare, in 2025-26.

Cannan extended his thanks to Mr Ralphs for his work, and said he was "grateful" to Mr Lewin for stepping into the role while work to recruit a permanent successor begins.

Alongside his experience in the government, Mr Lewin's experience in technology and digital transformation was "well suited to our efforts to modernise services for the public and deliver on our target of £50m in savings over the next five years", Cannan added.

Mr Lewin, who joined the Isle of man government in 2012, said he was "looking forward" to continuing to play his part.

Andy Stewart, currently director of policy and strategy at the Department for Enterprise, will take over as the department's interim chief officer.

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