HM Treasury has appointed Katie Martin as Business Adviser to the Chancellor via a Direct Ministerial Appointment, effective 12 January 2026. The unpaid role will be worked four days a week for an initial term of twelve months and is intended to strengthen engagement with business leaders across the UK. Martin previously served as the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff.
Published Terms of Reference set out the scope: Martin will engage with business leaders on the Chancellor’s behalf; work with Treasury ministers, special advisers, civil servants and No.10; update the Chancellor as required; and have access to relevant official and ministerial papers.
On governance, the terms record that a full declaration‑of‑interest process has been completed for this direct ministerial appointment. Any actual or perceived conflicts will be mitigated under measures set by HM Treasury’s Permanent Secretary, with support from the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team where required.
Cabinet Office guidance describes Direct Ministerial Appointments as short‑term, advisory roles made directly by ministers for specific tasks or objectives, often where the candidate pool is narrow. The guidance states that appointments must be rational, procedurally fair and non‑discriminatory, and must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
The guidance published in October 2025 also sets expectations for departmental support and information handling. Departments may provide IT and appropriate system access, but appointees may not access material that ministers could not access, and should not publish information outside government channels.
Policy Wire analysis: This is an engagement function rather than a spending or regulatory role. The published terms describe advisory responsibilities and do not set out programme budgets or decision‑making authority.
Policy Wire analysis: For businesses and trade bodies, a single named adviser within the Chancellor’s team should provide a clearer route for structured dialogue at ministerial level and coordination across HM Treasury and No.10. The announcement emphasises engagement rather than a fixed programme.
In the announcement, Rachel Reeves said the appointment shows determination to work in genuine partnership with business to deliver the government’s growth plan; Martin said increasing business investment is central to raising living standards. Both comments were issued on 12 January 2026.
As DMAs are not regulated public appointments, departments apply the Cabinet Office process rather than an open competition. The policy paper sets out the rationale, process steps and the public law standards that apply, and includes a template for terms and conditions.
Key details: the Terms of Reference specify the appointment runs from 12 January 2026 to 12 January 2027, with the possibility of extension. The role is four days a week on an unpaid basis, and the declaration and management of interests has been completed.