New Year’s Honours 2018: Current and former Home Office perm secs knighted

Philip Rutnam and predecessor Mark Sedwill join HMRC’s Edward Troup in list of public servants recognised by the Queen


PA

By Tamsin Rutter

02 Jan 2018

Philip Rutnam, who became Home Office permanent secretary in April 2017. Credit: Photoshot

The Home Office permanent secretary Philip Rutnam and his predecessor Mark Sedwill, now the government's national security adviser, both received knighthoods in the 2018 New Year’s Honours list.

Rutnam, who joined the Home Office in April 2017 after five years as perm sec at the Department for Transport, was recognised for public service. He is also the civil service disability champion.

Sedwill, who headed the Home Office for four years before the prime minister appointed him to his new role in April, and who once served as British ambassador to Afghanistan, was knighted for services to UK national security.

Also knighted this year were Edward Troup, who stepped down last year as permanent secretary and executive chair of HM Revenue and Customs, Professor Bernard Silverman, former Home Office chief scientific adviser, Tim Melville-Ross, chair of the Higher Education Funding Council for England; Professor Terence Stephenson, chair of the General Medical Council, and Anthony Habgood, chair of the Court of the Bank of England.


RELATED CONTENT


Rutnam congratulated the 19 current and former Home Office staff who were recognised this year, including Nick Drinkal, deputy director at Border Force, Stephen Lamb, lately director of returns preparation in Immigration Enforcement, and Bernard Lane of the Tackling Crime Unit in the Crime, Policing and Fire Group, all of whom received OBEs.

“It is a testament to their significant contribution to the department and their ongoing commitment to keeping our citizens safe and our borders secure,” he said. 

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to be included among those honoured. The award reflects the outstanding support and collaboration of colleagues throughout my career in the civil service.”

Several senior civil servants were made Companions of the Order of the Bath, including:

  • Raymond Long, lately programme director of the Department for Work and Pensions Digital Group.
  • Howard Orme, chief financial and operating officer at the Department for Education.
  • David Prout, lately director general at HS2.
  • David Rossington, former finance director, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
  • Stephen Speed, director of civil nuclear and resilience at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. 
  • Nick Perry, permanent secretary of the Department of Justice, Northern Ireland Civil Service.

Around 11% of honours were awarded for work in education. Jonathan Slater, Department for Education permanent secretary, said: “I want to congratulate each and every person who has been recognised in the New Year Honours list. The hard work and dedication of the award recipients is helping to improve educational standards and to create opportunities for every young person. 

“They are also essential in unlocking the talent in every community across the country. This is something we should all aspire to.”

Those working in the health sector received 10% of honours. Among the people made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) were Paul Baumann, chief financial officer at NHS England; Dale Bywater, executive regional managing director for Midlands and East, NHS Improvement; Hilary Garratt, director of nursing at NHS England; and Professor Andrew Morris, lately chief scientist (health) at the Scottish Government.

Other top officials to receive a CBE were: 

  • Sean Dennehey, deputy chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office.
  • Janette Durbin, director, Civil Service Talent. 
  • Elizabeth Dymond, director, the Charity for Civil Servants.
  • Dr Phil Evans, head, DFID Somalia, Department for International Development.
  • Denise Horsfall, work services director, Department for Work and Pensions.
  • Shaun Kingsbury, chief executive, Green Investment Bank. 
  • Jim Martin, lately Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
  • Anne McGaughrin, legal director for Department for Education, Government Legal Department.
  • Hilary Reynolds, executive director, Research Councils UK.
  • Howard Riddle, lately chief magistrate for England and Wales.
  • Kevin Sadler, director, courts and tribunals development, HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
  • Alan Scott, deputy director, North West Prisons.
  • Alison Stanley, HR director, for her work on civil service employee policy.
  • David Stephens, director of resources (army), HM Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence.
  • Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care, Care Quality Commission. 
  • Robert Swannell, non-executive chair, UK Government Investment. 
  • Deborah Walsh, deputy head of counter terrorism, Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, Crown Prosecution Service.

Many more civil servants were made Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), including several honoured for their services in the field of diversity and inclusion. There were OBEs for Lisa Baldock, an administrative officer in HR at the DWP who is deaf and has helped in the development of the Disability Passport for civil servants, as well as Oliver Entwistle, lately chair of the Civil Service Rainbow Alliance, and Rob Neil, head of Project Race at the Ministry of Justice.

At HMRC, head of infrastructure architecture Jim Boyle, senior delivery manager Nora Houston, and customer insight and analysis lead Susan Lancioni all received OBEs. David Buttery, former deputy director of High Speed Rail Legislation and Environment, and Linda Willson, lately head of Maritime Commerce and Infrastructure, both of DfT, also received this award.

At the MoD there were OBEs for Clare James, Jaswant Ramewal, Navy Command’s deputy secretary Antony Pritchard, and Lynsey Pinfield of British Defence Staff Washington. Awarded at DWP were Rilesh Jadeja, national access to work delivery manager, and Rick Rhodes, Essex district manager, Work Services Directorate.

Among BEIS civil servants, OBEs were given to Donna Leong, deputy director, Consumer and Competition Policy, Paromita Konar-Thakkar, deputy director, Energy Economics and Analysis, and Elizabeth McDonnell, lately head of Biomass Electricity Policy.

Other officials receiving OBEs included: 

  • Irene Adams, adviser to the chair, Green Investment Bank.
  • William Arnold, principal mechanical specialist inspector, Health and Safety Executive.
  • Brian Bowsher, chief executive, Science and Technology Facilities Council.
  • Mike Durkin, lately national director of patient safety, NHS Improvement.
  • Alan Giles, non-executive director, Competition and Markets Authority.
  • David Greensmith, Justices' Clerk, HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
  • Shabana Haque, head, Government Science and Engineering Profession Team, Government Office for Science.
  • Deborah Lamb, deputy director, Historic England.
  • Alwen Lyons, lately company secretary, Post Office Ltd.
  • Jane Marriott, of the Cabinet Office.
  • Olive Maybin, lately strategic policy adviser to head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
  • Grace Nesbitt, head, Pensions Division, Department of Finance, Northern Ireland Executive.
  • Lesley Sawers, Equality and Human Rights Commissioner for Scotland.
  • Naymitkumar Shah, manager, International Liaison Officer, National Crime Agency.
  • David Thompson, head, First World War and Ceremonials Team, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
  • Paul Walker of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 
  • Richard Wilson, head, office of the chairman and chief executive, Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
  • William Kilby, deputy head, Afghanistan, Department for International Development

In total 1,123 people received an award this year, with 211 at OBE level. Some 49% of them were women, 9.2% from BAME (black, Asian and ethnic minority) backgrounds and 5% consider themselves to have a disability. 

Have we missed any civil servants recognised in the New Year's Honours? Please let us know in the form below.

Read the most recent articles written by Tamsin Rutter - What Works for monitoring and maintaining workplace wellbeing?

Share this page