Taking up the roles of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service at a time of seismic change, Sir Mark Sedwill is leading a 400,000-strong team that is growing fast and working hard amid deep uncertainty. He talks to Jess Bowie and Suzannah Brecknell about his priorities, and what he thinks will define his time as government’s top official
Last year’s novichok attacks in Salisbury brought global threats to the doorstep of the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Chief executive Gary Aitkenhead tells Richard Johnstone how it is responding to the changing world
The government chief scientific adviser reflects on his career to date and strengthening how science and policy work together in the civil service
John Pullinger sits down with Mark Smulian to discuss sharing UK expertise globally, fake news and how data abundance changes policymaking
As part of our series profiling up-and-coming leaders in the civil service, Marsha Osivwemu, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’s natural environment portfolio head, tells Beckie Smith how she defied her own expectations to climb the ranks of central government and how she’s pulling up others behind her
Stephi Brett-Lee is head of internal communications at the Department for Work and Pensions and the youngest deputy director in the department. In the first of a new series profiling up-and-coming leaders across government, Beckie Smith caught up with her to discuss what leadership means in today’s civil service
Moving to the education department brought Jonathan Slater back to a policy area he knows and loves. He speaks to Suzannah Brecknell about his key role in helping the frontline function
Lord Deben is as intrepid and combative an advocate for the environment as anyone concerned about climate change could want. Better known as John Gummer, the former environment minister and now chair of the Committee on Climate Change tells Geoffrey Lyons why the UK’s current climate trajectory is worrying, and how it will be affected by Trump and Brexit.
"When we first launched, we had no senior champions and no official support from the department... we compiled data, built an evidence base, and did everything we needed to do to prove our worth and why we were needed"
Ian Ackerley left the world of commercial banking to join NS&I as its chief executive last year. He speaks to Jonathan Owen about the need to turn Britain from being a nation of spenders to a nation of savers
"When I was at college, I never knew the civil service was for everyone to join, it thought it was a unique ‘club’. We need to make sure all new talent realises it is a career option for anyone."
"There are plenty of positive professional role models in the technology industry, but getting access to them is not easy"