Helen Ghosh

Dame Helen Frances Ghosh, DCB (/ɡəʊst/; GOST;[1] born 21 February 1956) is a British civil servant who has been Master of Balliol College, Oxford since 2018. She was formerly Director-General of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, following her career as British civil servant, where until November 2012 was Permanent Secretary at the Home Office and was previously at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) until the end of 2010. On appointment at DEFRA, she was the only female permanent secretary to head a major department of the British Government.[2] From April 2018, she is Master of Balliol College, Oxford.[3]

Dame Helen Ghosh DCB
Master of Balliol College, Oxford
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 April 2018
Preceded by	Sir Drummond Bone
Director General of the National Trust
In office 12 November 2012 – 2 April 2018
Chairman	Sir Simon Jenkins Tim Parker
Preceded by	Dame Fiona Reynolds
Succeeded by	Hilary McGrady
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
In office 1 January 2011 – November 2012
Secretary of State	Theresa May
Preceded by	Sir David Normington
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office 7 November 2005 – 31 December 2010
Secretary of State	Margaret Beckett David Miliband Hilary Benn Caroline Spelman
Preceded by	Sir Brian Bender
Succeeded by	Bronwyn Hill
Personal details
Born	(1956-02-21) 21 February 1956 Farnborough, Hampshire, England
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Peter Ghosh
Children	one son, one daughter
Alma mater	St Hugh's College, Oxford Hertford College, Oxford

Personal life

Ghosh was born in Farnborough, Hampshire, in 1956, to a civil service scientist and a librarian.[4] She was educated at Farnborough Hill, an all-girls independent Catholic school.[5] She studied modern history at St Hugh's College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1976. She then undertook postgraduate study at Hertford College, Oxford, graduating with a Master of Letters (MLitt) in 1980; her thesis concerned the history of Italy in the 6th century.[6]

She is married with one daughter and one son; her husband Peter Ghosh is a tutor in modern history at St Anne's College, Oxford.[7]

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath (DCB) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June 2008.[8] In 2010, The Tablet named her as one of Britain’s most influential Roman Catholics.[9]

Career

Ghosh joined the Department of the Environment in 1979 as an Administration Trainee and held a series of policy roles. She was appointed Private Secretary to the Minister for Environment and Housing in 1986–88 and Head of the Housing Policy and Home Ownership Team in 1992. In July 1995, she joined the Cabinet Office on loan as Deputy Director of the Efficiency Unit then moved to a more operationally focused role in 1997 in the Government Office for London, where she worked as Director for London East and European Programmes, which brought her into contact with a variety of EU bodies, in particular those administering regeneration funds.

Between May 1999 and November 1999, she was Head of the New Deal for Communities Programme at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, working on cross-cutting and delivery issues. She then joined the Department for Work and Pensions as Director of the Children's Group, which had responsibility for child benefit, child support, child poverty issues and the Tax Credit Programme.

She rejoined the Cabinet Office on 22 October 2001, as Head of Central Secretariat[5] and, in 2003, became Director General for Corporate Services at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC),[10] where she played an important part in the transformation programme merging the Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise to form the new department. She was appointed Permanent Secretary at Defra on 7 November 2005.[11][12] She replaced Sir David Normington as Permanent Secretary at the Home Office in January 2011.[13]

In November 2012, she stepped down from her role at the Home Office to become Director General at the National Trust.[14][15][16] In April 2018 Ghosh became Master of Balliol College, Oxford in succession to Professor Sir Drummond Bone.[17][18]

Non-executive positions

Ghosh was a board member of the National School for Government,[19] and a committee member and former chair of the Blackfriars Overseas Aid Trust, based in Oxford.[20] She was elected a Rhodes Trustee in 2011.[21]

References

1. Moreton, Cole (3 March 2013). "Dame Helen Ghosh says: 'I believe the Government will talk to the National Trust'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
2. Bawden, Anna (21 March 2007). "The gender agenda". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2010..
3. "Election of new Master". 18 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
4. "On the charm offensive". The Guardian. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
5. Cabinet Office (30 October 2001). "Senior Appointment: Head of Central Secretariat". Government News Network. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2010. (via Wayback Machine)
6. "GHOSH, Dame Helen Frances". Who's Who 2014. A & C Black. November 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
7. Taylor, Jeremy (27 January 2013). "It's never too late to have your dream job". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
8. "The Queen's Birthday Honours". The Independent. 14 June 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
9. "The Tablet's Top 100". The Tablet. 11 September 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
10. Inland Revenue (10 March 2003). "Inland Revenue Board Changes". Ernst & Young LLP. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2010. (via Wayback Machine)
11. "New Permanent Secretary of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs" (Press release). Prime Minister's Office. 13 October 2005. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
12. Written answers by Lord Bach to Parliamentary Questions asked by Baroness Byford, Hansard, 19 December 2005.
13. "Dame Helen Ghosh to become Home Office Permanent Secretary" (Press release). Home Office. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
14. "Top civil servant Dame Helen Ghosh to leave the Home Office". The BBC. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
15. Kennedy, Maev (13 August 2012). "National Trust appoints Dame Helen Ghosh as director general". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
16. "Helen Ghosh takes over as National Trust Director-General". The National Trust. 12 November 2012.
17. Weale, Sally (18 July 2017). "Dame Helen Ghosh to leave National Trust for Balliol College, Oxford". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
18. Preston, Rob (18 July 2017). "National Trust director general quits for job at Oxford college". Civil Society Media. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
19. "National School Becomes New Government Department" (Press release). National School of Government. 21 December 2006. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2010. 4. The National School Board comprises: Sir Brian Bender (Chair), Permanent Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry : Sir John Elvidge, Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government : Helen Ghosh, Permanent Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs : ....
20. "288585 – Blackfriars Overseas Trust". Charity Commission. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
21. "Dame Helen Ghosh elected Rhodes Trustee". The Rhodes Trust. 12 March 2011. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.

Government offices
Preceded by Sir Brian Bender	Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2005–2010	Succeeded by Bronwyn Hill
Preceded by Sir David Normington	Permanent Secretary of the Home Office 2010–2012	Succeeded by Mark Sedwill