Department for Transport permanent secretary Jo Shanmugalingam, has been named as the next chair of trustees at the Charity for Civil Servants.
Shanmugalingam will succeed Sir Peter Schofield in the role when he steps down as Department for Work and Pensions perm sec this month. Schofield has been chair of trustees for the charity – the principal organisational charity for current and former civil servants – since 2019.
Her focus will be on strengthening engagement across the charity’s board; offering support and constructive challenge to its leadership team; and “championing the charity’s role in providing practical, financial and emotional help to civil servants, past and present, when they need it most”, the Charity for Civil Servants said in an announcement.
Founded in 1886 as a benevolent society to support the widows and orphans of civil servants, the charity now provides financial assistance, money advice, counselling and other services to current and former officials.
Shanmugalingam will work alongside the charity’s chief exec, Jonathan Freeman, and cabinet secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, who serves as its president.
Shanmugalingam said she is “really pleased” to be taking on the role.
“It does incredibly important work supporting colleagues through some of the toughest moments in their lives, often quietly, and often when it matters most,” she said.
“There’s more we can do to make sure every civil servant knows about that support and feels able to access it. I’m looking forward to working with the trustees and the team to strengthen the charity’s reach, support its long term sustainability, and make sure it continues to adapt to what colleagues need, both now and in the future.”