Former Chair of the National Audit Office
Michael Bichard has had a career in local and central government and academia. He was Chief Executive of two local authorities - the London borough of Brent and Gloucestershire County Council - the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency and then the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education and Employment. He was Vice Chancellor of the University of the Arts and Chaired the Soham Inquiry before becoming the founding director of the Institute for Government. He has recently retired as Chair of the National Audit Office and has also chaired the Legal Services Commission, the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the Design Council and Shakespeare’s Globe.
