Jo Shanmugalingam has been appointed as the Department for Transport’s permanent secretary having held the position on an interim basis for the last few weeks.
Shanmugalingam took over as interim perm sec 16 June following Dame Bernadette Kelly’s retirement last month and has now been picked as the permanent choice for the role.
She has been second perm sec at DfT since May 2023. Before that, she was director general for science, innovation and growth at the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, and DG for science and innovation at its predecessor, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
Shanmugalingam has also held roles including director of corporate effectiveness at the Ministry of Defence, and strategy director at the Department of Energy and Climate Change in a job share with Susannah Storey – who is now perm sec at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
She started her career at the Department for Trade and Industry and spent six years at the Shareholder Executive (now UK Government Investments).
Congratulating Shanmugalingam on her new role, cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald said: “Jo’s valuable experience and impressive track record in delivery make her well suited to lead the department at such an important moment of infrastructure renewal under the Plan for Change – building transport services across the country that boost opportunity and growth for working people.”
Wormald also thanked Kelly for her “dedicated service over 39 years in the civil service, in particular for her eight years leading the Department for Transport”.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “delighted” to appoint Shanmugalingam to the role.
Alexander, who took on political leadership at the department in November, said: “Having worked closely with her since taking up my role, I know she will provide exemplary leadership as we deliver for this government and the public. “
She also thanked Kelly “for her many years of public service” and she said “can think of no one better to take over the reins from Bernadette than Jo”.
Shanmugalingam said she is “honoured” to be taking on the role. She said the department has a “huge part to play at this critical time in driving economic growth” and that she is “incredibly fortunate to continue working with the talented team in DfT and across the transport system, who I know are all just as dedicated to delivering changes that make a real difference to people’s lives".
Shanmugalingam’s appointment follows an external recruitment competition overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.