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Former Bank of America Executive Appointed as Boris Johnson’s Top Aide

Former Bank of America Executive Appointed as Johnson’s Top Aide

Boris Johnson named a former senior manager at Bank of America Corp. to become his new chief of staff as part of an overhaul to his team of advisers at the top of the U.K. government.

Dan Rosenfield will start work on Dec. 7 in the prime minister’s office before taking over as chief of staff on Jan. 1. His appointment follows the exit of controversial aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain earlier this month.

The ex-investment banker joins Johnson’s team from strategic advisory firm Hakluyt. He was managing director at the banking division in Bank of America between 2011 and 2016.

Critically, he also knows the inside of government well and has worked with both major parties. He was an official in the U.K. Treasury for more than a decade, and spent four years working closely with two chancellors of the exchequer, Labour’s Alistair Darling and the Conservative George Osborne.

Rosenfield’s task will be to help Johnson reset his government’s agenda after months of criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He will spend his first weeks building relationships with ministers and Conservative members of Parliament, a vital job for Johnson as the premier seeks to mend relations with colleagues frustrated with his leadership.

“Dan is a class act and an inspired appointment,” Rupert Harrison, a former adviser to Osborne said on Twitter. “He was the principal private secretary in the Chancellor’s office who managed the transition from Alistair Darling to George Osborne. Bright, tough and politically savvy.”

Rosenfield is also chairman of World Jewish Relief, a humanitarian agency.

Edward Lister, one of Johnson’s longest serving advisers, is working as acting chief of staff on a temporary basis and will stay on to help after Rosenfield takes over, Johnson’s office said.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.