The reality is that at £200k/y a suitably qualified person is taking a massive pay-cut compared to what they could make in the private sector and so would have

The reality is that at £200k/y a suitably qualified person is taking a massive pay-cut compared to what they could make in the private sector and so would have to want to feel great deal of ideological or public service drive to take this role on. Gov.uk saw a great turnover of talent under the Tories (starting with the Tory/Lib Dem coalition) as many people were simply disenfranchised/unaligned with Tory rule but also felt equally uninspired at the prospect of a Corbin government. Faced with no great outcome, people left. Many qualified people in the private sector are going to pass, especially as you probably can't also invest or sit on the boards of other companies and all the other stuff tech execs do to further enhance their careers and wealth. It is of no surprise to me they can't find suitably qualified folks to run this, the pool size of the intersections above (ideologically aligned with Tories, well qualified, open to pay cut) is minute. And that's before you even consider the well made points in the other comments; that this is probably a bit of a shit job in the first place.