Ursula Brennan
Encyclopedia
Ursula Brennan has been the Permanent Under-Secretary of State (PUS, commonly known as Permanent Secretary
) at the UK's Ministry of Defence
(MOD) since November 2010. A career civil servant, she joined the MOD (as 2nd PUS) in October 2008, having spent most of her career at what is now the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
, Kent
. She has a degree in English and American Literature from the University of Kent
in Canterbury. After graduation she initially worked at the Inner London Education Authority
, but left after two years, saying in a subsequent interview that "It was grim. Huge numbers that joined when I did in 1973 had left within five years. Somebody told me at one point that ‘it’s not your job to have ideas – it’s your job to do things the way they have always been done’. I was in my early 20s and I thought to myself that I couldn’t spend the rest of my career in an organisation where it wasn’t my job to think."
(DHSS) in 1975. After a variety of health-related jobs, including that of Private Secretary
to the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Henry Yellowlees, she moved on to social security, covering policy on all the main social security benefits and then into operations as a Director of the Department's IT Services Agency, responsible for a range of IT projects and contracts. From there she became Director of Change Management at the Benefits Agency. In 1997 she returned to policy, with responsibility for benefits for long term sick and disabled people. From 1999 to 2004, she was the Director-General (DG) at the DWP.
From 2004-2006, Brennan was the DG Living Land and Seas at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Defra) where her responsibilities included board-level leadership of strategy for rural disadvantage, and protection of wildlife and the countryside. She led the implementation of a review of rural delivery, merging and creating two new Non-Departmental Public Bodies and restructuring delivery of grants and advice to rural business.
In 2006/2007, Brennan was Chief Executive of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Following this work, from April to September 2008, Brennan was DG Corporate Performance in the Ministry of Justice, having led the review to create the structure for what was then a new Ministry which had been extracted from the Home Office. Her remit covered leadership of the corporate functions in MOJ, including finance, HR, IT, strategy and planning, communications and research and analysis.
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
) at the UK's Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
(MOD) since November 2010. A career civil servant, she joined the MOD (as 2nd PUS) in October 2008, having spent most of her career at what is now the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
Background
Brennan was born in 1952, in SevenoaksSevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. She has a degree in English and American Literature from the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
in Canterbury. After graduation she initially worked at the Inner London Education Authority
Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990.-History:...
, but left after two years, saying in a subsequent interview that "It was grim. Huge numbers that joined when I did in 1973 had left within five years. Somebody told me at one point that ‘it’s not your job to have ideas – it’s your job to do things the way they have always been done’. I was in my early 20s and I thought to myself that I couldn’t spend the rest of my career in an organisation where it wasn’t my job to think."
National Government Career
She joined the Department of Health and Social SecurityDepartment of Health and Social Security
The Department of Health and Social Security was a ministry of the British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Social Services.-History:...
(DHSS) in 1975. After a variety of health-related jobs, including that of Private Secretary
Private Secretary
In the United Kingdom government, a Private Secretary is a civil servant in a Department or Ministry, responsible to the Secretary of State or Minister...
to the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Henry Yellowlees, she moved on to social security, covering policy on all the main social security benefits and then into operations as a Director of the Department's IT Services Agency, responsible for a range of IT projects and contracts. From there she became Director of Change Management at the Benefits Agency. In 1997 she returned to policy, with responsibility for benefits for long term sick and disabled people. From 1999 to 2004, she was the Director-General (DG) at the DWP.
From 2004-2006, Brennan was the DG Living Land and Seas at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
(Defra) where her responsibilities included board-level leadership of strategy for rural disadvantage, and protection of wildlife and the countryside. She led the implementation of a review of rural delivery, merging and creating two new Non-Departmental Public Bodies and restructuring delivery of grants and advice to rural business.
In 2006/2007, Brennan was Chief Executive of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Following this work, from April to September 2008, Brennan was DG Corporate Performance in the Ministry of Justice, having led the review to create the structure for what was then a new Ministry which had been extracted from the Home Office. Her remit covered leadership of the corporate functions in MOJ, including finance, HR, IT, strategy and planning, communications and research and analysis.