The ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) is bringing in new people amid moves to reform its structure.

Two new positions have been created – which will see ACT Ambulance Service chief officer David Foot appointed as the ESA's executive director of risk and planning, while a former chief fire officer from the UK will be added to the executive team overseeing the changes.

The changes come in the wake of a damning report into the ESA’s workplace culture.

The review found a majority of staff were critical of Mr Foot's performance specifically.

But Mr Foot said the vocal criticism was not the reason behind his move into the new position.

“It was my decision and my decision alone,” he said at a press conference this week.

“From a governance point of view, from a clinical standards perspective, from a patient care point of view I think we've done very well,” he said.

“Certainly there's more work to do on the people side of that, we've made it very clear, and I think we're probably one of the first agencies to take that leap and move towards undertaking a cultural review.

“I think that's part of the organisation continuing to mature and build its resilience.”

Former chief fire officer of the Buckinghamshire Fire Brigade Mark Jones is expected to take an iron grip of the reins in the bid to reform the service.

Mr Jones is known for his tough stance on industrial relations, and ESA Commissioner Dominic Lane says he is an effective negotiator.

“Mark will be in a position as a career firefighter himself, to bring forward a whole host of knowledge about how we can help implement those reforms,” Mr Lane said.

“I would expect Mark Jones to make sure that he understands the industrial frameworks within which we work here in the ACT.

“I'm sure that Mark is the type of person that can sit down around the table with firefighters, with fire and rescue management, and with the union, and work through the issues that we're presented with.”