Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary

As HMRC’s Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, Lesley is responsible for providing leadership and direction to the Department. Lesley runs all aspects of HMRC’s business, ensuring delivery of the strategic objectives and driving continuous improvement.

Lesley is the Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) and is accountable to Parliament for the Department’s expenditure and performance. Her Executive Committee (ExCom) portfolio includes Communications and Marketing, Departmental Transformation and Strategy.

Whitehall responsibilities

Lesley Strathie is Head of Profession for Operational Delivery.
She is also a member of the Permanent Secretaries Management Group and the Government Skills Board.

Biography

Lesley joined the Civil Service in 1971 straight from school as a clerical assistant in the Department of Health & Social Security, moving to the Department of Employment in 1974. In 1984, she moved from her native Scotland to London to work in the Unemployment Benefit Service, which later became part of the new Employment Service. Lesley worked in many different roles, was promoted through the management tiers of the Employment Service and entered the Senior Civil Service in November 2000.

When the Employment Service and Benefits Agency merged in November 2001 to create Jobcentre Plus, Lesley was promoted to the post of Field Director responsible for operational delivery in London. Through open competition, she was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2003 and Chief Executive in 2005.

In her position as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, she successfully managed a programme to redesign, rebrand and refurbish over 1500 former Jobcentres and Social Security offices and create over 850 new Jobcentres. Lesley continued the transformation of Jobcentre Plus, moving the business to multi-channel delivery and took forward the Welfare Reform Agenda, which included the implementation of a new benefit, Employment and Support Allowance, in October 2008.

Lesley is a member of the Permanent Secretaries Management Group and is Head of Profession for Operational Delivery across Whitehall and is a member of the Government Skills Board. She is a member of the Employers’ Forum on Disability President’s Group and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute.