Michael Whitehouse was appointed Chief Operating Officer for the NAO on 1 July 2009. He is CIPFA qualified and has had responsibility for a range of portfolios both as Assistant Auditor General (from 2002) and as Director (from 1990). He has extensive experience of value for money work across government including defence, foreign affairs and international aid, agriculture and economic regulation.

He spent 15 months working in New Zealand with the Office of the Auditor General. In 1992 he was seconded to the Ministry of Finance in Zambia where he led a nine-month review of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM). From 1994 to 1997, he was the UK Audit Commissioner for the European Space Agency. As well as having responsibility for strategy and the operational performance and capability of the NAO he leads the NAO’s work on cross government systemic issues. He is also an executive member of the NAO Board.