Show Notes
“You should never pick me for any job which is business as usual… I am my best or worst, depending on your point of view, when dealing with change.”
From helping to establish the UK Department for International Development (DFID) after its separation from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to managing a prisons crisis as justice department permanent secretary, Suma Chakrabarti has never been afraid to take on big, complex challenges. Quite the opposite – the opportunity to create change is, he says, what energises him.
In this episode, Suma reflects on his long career in the UK civil service – which also included stints in the Cabinet Office and Treasury – and his time as president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Discussing his decision to leave one civil service job because he was at loggerheads with the minister, why he thinks the merger of DFID and the Foreign Office is a mistake, the future of work, his advice to ambitious civil servants, and much more besides. Suma reveals himself as a bold, astute, and empathetic leader with a truckload of lessons to share. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Leading Questions
Governments around the world are all faced with meeting skills gaps and talent challenges. Many services require digitally-savvy public servants to help deliver more citizen-focused services, while there is also a need for leadership and management skills to allow government to become more risk-smart and innovative.
Civil servants in government make many decisions every day.
In this conversation, the executive editor of Global Government Forum Richard Johnstone chats to Joe Hill, the policy director of the think-tank Re:state about his recent essay, Everythingism.
The threat that public sector organisations face from fraud is growing. In an era when technological advancements are rapidly transforming the landscape, public sector organisations face unprecedented challenges in combating fraud.
The race is on, both within and among governments, to develop and implement artificial intelligence (AI) tools for greater productivity better public services.