Ian Watmore, the former Chief Executive of the Football Association, has been appointed to oversee the government’s central property function.

Watmore is to become the new chief operating officer at the head of the Efficiency and Reform Group, the Cabinet Office body designed to tackle waste across all government departments, including saving money on property.

His remit will include “exploiting economies of scale”, reducing duplication, and finding efficiencies in procurement, project management and property.

Watmore first entered the civil service in 2004 as director general and government chief information officer in the Cabinet Office.

In 2007, he became permanent secretary for the newly created Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Most recently, he was group chief executive of the Football Association. He resigned from that post in March.

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