Government Property Agency announces Debra Soper as first Chief Operating Officer

The Government Property Agency (GPA) hires Debra Soper as Chief Operating Officer in a recruitment drive as part of its strategy to place people at the centre of its property agenda of Her Majesty’s Government. Debra oversees the operational functions of the GPA which cover key areas such as data and technology, commercial, legal, HR, security, and marketing and communications.

The GPA is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, responsible for delivering the Government’s property agenda across its office and warehouse portfolios. Formed in April 2018, the GPA has a crucial role in the Government’s Levelling Up, Net Zero and Civil Service Transformation initiatives.

Debra joins from the Cabinet Office where she was an Executive Director and Deputy Government Chief People Officer and Civil Service HR Chief Operations Officer. Debra has five years’ senior level experience in the Cabinet Office and prior to that held several private sector roles for companies such as Pearson plc, Aon Consulting, Accenture and BAE Systems.

Steven Boyd, CEO of the GPA, said:

Property is about people. We acquire and fit out buildings to deliver great places to work for our customers. And we are reshaping our workplace offering to focus on people rather than buildings. Debra’s appointment as Chief Operating Officer, with her background in people, is a key part of our growth strategy.

Debra will help us bring to bear the wide range of professionals that we need to deliver some crucial Government initiatives.

Debra Soper said:

The GPA has a huge mandate to deliver for Government. Every one of our 300 people, and those in our extensive supply chain, has a role to play. I am proud to be playing my own part in this and helping to take forward the Agency’s exciting agenda.

We are actively recruiting more than 100 roles across various disciplines, and we are looking for people with strong property and commercial skills who are prepared to innovate to deliver for our customers.

The GPA is currently working on delivering the Government’s Hubs Programme as part of the Levelling Up agenda and Workplace Transformation Project. It is also managing 800,000 sq m of the Government’s office and warehouse portfolios, and providing guidance on workplace services including design, technology, sustainability and customer experience.