With the future of the United Kingdom once again in the balance after the vote to quit the European Union, Jess Bowie sits down with Scotland's top official to discuss Brexit, independence – and whether the culture at the top of the civil service is holding women back. Photos by David Anderson

It’s the biggest project on the government’s infrastructure shopping list, but KPMG's Sue Kershaw reckons HS2 will rely on people management as much as pile-drivers.

The former head of UK Trade and Investment sits down for lunch with CSW's Matt Foster to talk Brexit fallout, life outside Whitehall – and why life begins at 60

Digital technology offers the public sector unprecedented opportunities to shape services for citizens, writes KPMG’s Adrian Clamp

What do ministers really think of their officials? Jonathan Owen asked Andrew Mitchell – former international development secretary – to appraise the civil service

The Border Force's Sara Alexander, winner of last year's Diversity and Inclusion Award for Championing Gender, tells CSW why buy-in from men is vital in confronting the issues faced by women in the civil service

Two years into her tenure at the Charity Commission, chief executive Paula Sussex says her organisation is making substantial strides towards turning around some damning findings from Westminster watchdogs. Mark Smulian reports

Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

KPMG looks into the enormous benefits of automated cars and how they will radically change travel

In eight years as a Labour minister and 22 as an MP, Nick Raynsford learned a thing or two about what works in government. He sits down with CSW’s Matt Foster to talk about his new book, "Substance Not Spin", Whitehall’s fear of letting go — and why his party must not become an “ineffective protest movement”

KPMG mapped out a business journey from Essex to Scotland, and considered how things work now and how they might develop over the next five years.

Sir Peter Housden served as Scotland's top official for five years, stepping down from the civil service last year after more than a decade at the helm of big government organisations. Here, he tells CSW's Matt Foster why he thinks its time ministers dropped their "sword-in-hand" approach to public sector reform – and what Brexit is likely to mean for Scotland

The National Infrastructure Commission is less than a year old. But it's already thinking about the infrastructure Britain will need in 2050. The NIC's chief executive Phil Graham sits down with Mark Leftly to discuss HS2, Heathrow – and what running a theatre company taught him about people

The Civil Service Rainbow Alliance won praise at last year's Diversity and Inclusion Awards. Here, the CSRA's chair Oliver Entwistle tells CSW about the cultural gap that still exists between the top of the civil service and the frontline – and why he hopes the award will be a "catalyst for change"

There’s more to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office than diplomacy and policy, with the government department harbouring one of the most overtly commercial operations in the civil service. Danny Payne, chief executive of FCO Services, tells CSW’s Jonathan Owen how the trading fund set up less than a decade ago has come of age

The world is changing – and so must the civil service. Ian Lithgow and Mike Falvey map out a way to give public servants more flexible and varied careers, whilst stimulating local economies and helping government adapt to today’s challenges

Vicky Pryce, former joint head of the Government Economic Service, tells Sam Macrory why, despite the tumultuous times ahead, she would welcome a return to Whitehall…and not only to increase the number of senior women by one

Britain's new prime minister Theresa May has vowed to "make a success" of Britain's historic decision to quit the European Union. But as Sir Nigel Sheinwald – the UK's former permanent representative to the European Union – tells Sam Macrory, that will no easy task

The civil service "lost self-confidence" as a result of the coalition's reform, the former Defra and Home Office perm sec tells Sam Macrory, as the pair take tea in Sutton House

Former Border Force director general Tony Smith spent four decades in Theresa May's old department, the Home Office. Here he tells Matt Foster that while Britain's new prime minister is a demanding boss who does her homework, she's also willing to stick up for her civil servants when push comes to shove

While some civil servants are tech savvy, others lack the skills to embrace 21st-century ways of working. How can this be addressed? Mark Smulian reports on a recent CSW round table discussing digital transformation

Not long ago, the team overseeing digital transformation in Whitehall was in need of some significant changes itself. Zara Farrar, leader of the Government Digital Service’s women’s group, tells Rebecca Hill how GDS reinvented its attitude to women

As Sir Michael Wilshaw approaches the end of his tenure as head of education inspectorate Ofsted, he looks back on his time in post and vents his concerns about a worrying lack of leadership in schools

HM Treasury’s new permanent secretary Tom Scholar arrives in post via a somewhat different route to long-serving predecessor Sir Nick Macpherson. Colin Marrs takes a look at his career to date and speaks to those who've worked alongside him