Ingeus appoints new Chief Executive

We have just learned that Ingeus UK Ltd has appointed Dean James to be the new Chief Executive. He will join Ingeus in June 2010 when he leaves DWP where he is currently the Chief Operating Officer, Corporate IT and Chief Information Officer.

Not much is known about Dean James although earlier this year he was credited as having driven an average of £300m in efficiency svaings annually over the last 5 years in the DWP's £1.2 billion IT budget. Within Government, DWP has an ICT spending requirement second only to the Department of Health. A total overhaul of the DWP's data and telephone services created an "integrated platform" that successfully handled a 50% increase in customer demand faced by DWP and its agencies when the recession began.

The Ingeus appointment marks a new phase in the company’s UK development. The current de-facto Chief Exec of the UK subsidiary, William Smith, has been promoted to “Chief Executive Officer, Europe” whilst Chris Blackwell remains as its Chief Operating Officer. The company has taken quite a long time to make this new appointment.

Ingeus has had a footprint in the UK since 2002. Known then as WorkDirections it secured two of the first re-tendered private-sector led New Deal contracts (in London). At the time, the nascent welfare to work industry was startled by the arrival of this overseas-owned private sector provider.

Ingeus was later awarded Employment Zone contracts in five areas and, in late 2007, it took six Pathways to Work contracts. This was more than any other provider and its Pathways contracts remain the core of its current business. Ingeus picked-up two CPAs (in the East Midlands and Scotland) in the first round of FND contracting and were shortlisted late last year to bid in 8 of the 14 CPAs for FND2. Last month, it was announced as preferred bidder for the Work Choice programme in the south London CPA. The UK operation has “over 700 staff” in 26 offices in London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh.

Ingeus is an international company founded by Thérèse Rein in 1989 as a provider of employment rehabilitation services. In 2007 her husband, Kevin Rudd, became Australian Prime Minister and she sold the Australian operating companies of the Ingeus Group. The business now has a European base of welfare to work contracts in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. Although it no longer has any Australian operations, the group is still headquartered in Brisbane, Australia and has an entirely Australian Board.