Significant Appointments and Senior Independent Panel Members
Thursday 7 May 2026
This new series of blogs from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments explains the process by which ministers make appointments to our most important institutions – and the Commissioner’s role in providing assurance that the best people are appointed to these roles.
The Commissioner for Public Appointments has a vital role in upholding the integrity of the public appointments process. At the heart of this process is the principle of fair and open competition, which ensures that ministerial appointments are made strictly on the basis of merit. This framework provides the minister with robust advice and secures the consideration of the widest pool of talent.
However, not all public appointments are regulated in the same way. A key distinction in the world of public appointments is the concept of a ‘significant appointment’.
The Governance Code on Public Appointments establishes a two-tier system of regulation, with significant appointments forming the higher tier. While there is no published framework detailing what makes a role ‘significant’, the majority fulfil one of the following criteria:
- Chair-level appointments to major public bodies (e.g. the BBC, HS2 Ltd and HM Land Registry);
- The heads of independent regulatory agencies (e.g. Ofcom, Ofsted, the Financial Conduct Authority);
- Trustee-level appointments to the boards of cultural institutions who select the chair from among their number (e.g. the British Museum);
- Ombudsmen and Commissioners whose job it is to independently safeguard the rights and interests of the public (e.g. the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, the Windrush Commissioner); and
- Chairs of ethics watchdogs (e.g. the Ethics and Integrity Commission).
The extra importance of these roles means that their recruitment campaigns are subject to a higher degree of independent scrutiny. Specifically, the advisory assessment panels for significant appointments must include a Senior Independent Panel Member (SIPM). The SIPM must be independent of both the appointing department and the body itself; they cannot be currently politically active. The Commissioner is consulted on all proposed SIPMs before the competition begins.
The SIPM’s core responsibility is to ensure that the competition process complies with the Governance Code. Their involvement provides an essential, independent check, reinforcing public trust that the nation’s most powerful public roles are filled by the best candidates.
In 2024-25, the Commissioner was consulted on a minister’s choice of SIPM on 31 occasions. A list of those who served as SIPM was published on pp. 61-2 of the Commissioner annual report for that year.