Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) has appointed Niall Mackenzie as its new Chief Executive.
Niall currently works at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) as the UK's HM Trade Commissioner for North America, which is based at the British Consulate General in New York.
Acas Chair, Clare Chapman, said:
"I'm absolutely delighted to welcome Niall as CEO. Niall is an experienced and knowledgeable leader with a strong track record both of customer delivery and helping to grow the UK economy.
"We all look forward to working with him to further strengthen our reputation as Britain’s leading authority on employment relations.
"Acas is currently delivering one of its strongest set of annual results in recent years and will play a central role in supporting the Government's 'Make Work Pay' plans. I'm confident that Niall's leadership will help us rise to the challenge of meeting the significant extra demand on our services this will involve, as we continue to innovate in the delivery of our core services."
Niall added:
"I'm thrilled to be joining an organisation that has so many talented people promoting good workplace practice and helping resolve some of Britain's most difficult workplace disputes.
"Acas experts play a vital role in conflict resolution and prevention. The annual cost of UK workplace conflict is an estimated £30 billion. By further reducing that cost, Acas can make a marked contribution to Britain's economic growth in the years ahead."
Niall will take over as Acas Chief Executive on 1 May 2025.
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Background notes
1. Niall Mackenzie joins from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), where he is currently His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for North America, based at the British Consulate General in New York City.
Prior to this Niall was Interim Director General for Domestic and International Markets and Exports. Before that he was Director for Consumer and Competition Policy in the Department for Business and Trade, and Interim Director General, Market Frameworks at the department's predecessor, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Niall will succeed Dan Ellis, Interim CEO since August 2024.
2. Acas's annual report 2023 to 2024 revealed that Acas dealt with over 600 collective disputes, over 100,000 potential tribunal claims, nearly 600,000 helpline calls and around 18 million Acas website visits.