Ō mātou kaiarataki Our leaders

Sir Brian Roche KNZM (he/him)

Public Service Commissioner, Head of Service | Te Tumu Whakarae mō Te Kawa Mataaho

Sir Brian is the Public Service Commissioner and Head of Service. He also leads the Government Digital Delivery Agency and holds the system lead role of Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO). Before joining the Commission, Sir Brian was Chair of the Cyclone Recovery Taskforce from 2023 to 2024 and Chair of New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi from 2019 to 2022. He was the Chief Executive of New Zealand Post from 2010 to 2017 and a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) from 1987 to 2009.

Learn more about the role of the Public Service Commissioner  

Thor Gudjonsson (he/him)

Deputy Public Service Commissioner | Te Pou Turuki mō Te Kawa Mataaho
Deputy Chief Executive Enabling Services | Tumu Whakarae Tuarua, Ratonga Whakamana

Thor is Deputy Public Service Commissioner, working closely with the Public Service Commissioner to provide leadership and oversight of the Public Service. He is also Deputy Chief Executive, Enabling Services at the Commission, a position he has held since 2024. Previously Thor was the Deputy Commissioner, System and Agency Performance, within the Public Service Commission. A Chartered Accountant, he has provided strong leadership in Chief Financial Officer roles, including at the Ministry of Justice, Ministry for Primary Industries, and the New Zealand Intelligence Community.   

Rauru Kirikiri (he/him)

Kaihautū to the Public Service Commissioner | Kaihautū mō Te Kawa Mataaho

Rauru (Te Whānau ā Apanui) has a notable background serving iwi, Māori, and New Zealand through his many roles in academia, consultancy, and the Public Service. He specialises in a range of Māori related issues including environmental management, strategic planning, Treaty of Waitangi claims negotiations, policy development, and tertiary education. Rauru is also an experienced resource consent commissioner, has had various academic activities at universities in both New Zealand and Australia, and continues to serve on several committees including acting as Deputy Chairperson of Te Mana Whakahaere o Awanuiārangi. His Public Service career began at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (with postings to Washington DC, Suva, and London); State Services Commission (now the Public Service Commission Te Kawa Mataaho); and Department of Māori Affairs (now Te Puni Kōkiri). He has recently returned to the Commission as Kaihautū to the Public Service Commissioner. 

Heather Baggott (she/her)

Deputy Chief Executive Public Sector Performance | Tutukinga Mahi a te Rāngai Tūmatanui

Heather is the Deputy Chief Executive Public Sector Performance. She served a 5-year term as Deputy Public Service Commissioner (2021-2026) and was the Acting Public Service Commissioner for 8 months in 2024. Since joining the Commission in 2018, Heather has had a focus on public sector performance, chief executive recruitment and development, leadership development, and executive talent management. She has also led system-wide efforts to improve diversity and inclusion, and the Māori Crown aspects of the 2020 Public Service reform. Heather has held a number of senior leadership roles in the Public Service, including in justice, courts and tribunals administration, treaty negotiations, and culture and heritage.

Hugo Vitalis (he/him)

Deputy Chief Executive Strategy, Policy and Integrity | Tumu Whakarae Tuarua, Rautaki, Kaupapahere me te Ngākau Pono

Hugo is Deputy Chief Executive of the Strategy, Policy and Integrity group. He has held a number of roles across the Commission including Deputy Commissioner, Integrity, Ethics & Standards and Manager, Innovation and Strategy. Prior to joining the Commission, Hugo held management roles in strategy and policy groups within the Ministry for Social Development. He has also worked at the Ministry of Justice, Legal Services Agency, Wellington Regional Council, Ministry of Culture and Heritage and the Department of Internal Affairs.

Alex Chadwick (she/her)

Deputy Chief Executive Workforce | Tumu Whakarae Tuarua, Te Ohu Mahi

Alex is Deputy Chief Executive of the Workforce group. With a background as an employment lawyer, Alex has worked in the UK Civil Service (Treasury Solicitor’s Department) and at various legal firms and large corporates in the UK and New Zealand. Before joining the Commission, Alex led the Employment Relations advice function at Fonterra. She has governance experience, serving on a number of boards including Diversity Works New Zealand, and has led and implemented employment relations and workforce strategies in the public and private sectors. Alex was previously Manager of the Gender Pay Taskforce and continues to lead this work as well as the Public Service’s wider diversity, equity and inclusion work programme.

Tania Ott (she/her)

Deputy Commissioner, Public Service Fale | Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Te Whare Pasifika

Tania is Deputy Commissioner for the Public Service Fale. She joined the Commission as an Assistant Commissioner, and prior to that, was Group Manager Senior Courts at the Ministry of Justice. Tania has also held Public Service roles at the Office of Treaty Settlements, Department of Internal Affairs and Department of Labour (as it was then called) and served as private secretary to several government ministers and as an advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister.