THE new permanent secretary of the Welsh Government has been announced.

Dr Andrew Goodall – previously chief executive of the NHS in Wales – will take over the role from Dame Shan Morgan as the most senior civil servant in the Welsh Government.

He will be responsible for 5,000 staff and will be the principal policy advisor to the first minister for the next five years.

Dr Goodall said: “It is a great honour to take up the role of permanent secretary of the Welsh Government. I look forward to working with staff across the civil service and the wider Welsh public sector workforce.

“There are major challenges ahead, but I am confident that we can rise to them by working together, and building on the foundations that Shan has laid over the last five years.”

First minister Mark Drakeford said: “I’m delighted that Andrew Goodall will be taking up the role of permanent secretary as we build a stronger, fairer and greener Wales together beyond the pandemic.

“He has been a leading figure in Welsh public service for many years, so I warmly welcome his appointment to this role.

“I would like to thank Shan for her leadership of the Welsh civil service during these most challenging times and wish her well for the future.”

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Dame Shan Morgan said: “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with such a fantastic group of people on things that have made a huge difference to people in Wales at one of the most challenging times in our history.

“Although much of my time has inevitably been spent fire-fighting, my focus as permanent secretary has been to try and develop a more resilient, skilled and capable civil service for the future, as well as making the organisation a fairer, more inclusive place to work.

“I wish Andrew all the best and will be working closely with him as he takes up the role.”