Baroness Gisela Stuart and Atul Devani discuss recruitment and leadership in the Civil Service

Baroness Gisela Stuart, First Civil Service Commissioner, and Atul Devani, Civil Service Commissioner and entrepreneur, joined a recent Institute for Government panel on “Leadership change in the civil service: How can new permanent secretaries deliver for government?”

The discussion explored how the Commission works with departments to recruit its senior leaders and the role of the Commission in encouraging external recruitment to bring in new skills and talent.

Baroness Gisela Stuart said: 

‘At its simplest, our role is to be the referee of the game in senior recruitment. We set the rules – our recruitment principles – and we make sure the game is played fairly, openly, and in a way that earns public confidence.

It’s worth reminding ourselves that leadership positions in the Civil Service - especially at Permanent Secretary level - are some of the biggest, most complex and most rewarding jobs in the UK. These are roles that carry responsibility for vast budgets, thousands of staff, and services that touch millions of lives every day.

We make sure recruitment remains fair and open, but we are also practical, proportionate and effective - we challenge and support departments to get the leaders they need, using the skills of our Commissioner team as well as our cross-government perspective.’

Baroness Gisela Stuart outlined the Commission’s strategic priorities for 2025–27, while Atul Devani reflected on the importance of innovation and diversity in leadership.

You can watch the full discussion here: Watch the event