News story

New MOD Permanent Secretary announced

It has been announced that Jon Thompson will take up the position of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
Jon Thompson

The Ministry of Defence's new Permanent Secretary, Jon Thompson (library image) [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD]

Prime Minister David Cameron, with the agreement of Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, has approved the appointment of Mr Thompson following the departure of Ursula Brennan from the post in June.

In January 2009 Mr Thompson took up his current post as Director General of Finance at the MOD where he has been responsible for a range of cross-departmental business including departmental strategy, financial management and corporate services.

He has spent most of his career in the public service, working for the Department of Education, Ofsted and two local authorities. Jon has also worked for Ernst & Young and in international financial services.

In a message to staff Mr Thompson said:

It is a privilege to be taking over at this critical time for the MOD. As Director General of Finance I have seen the passion and commitment which Defence inspires in our people.

The MOD is one of the great Departments of State and should be a global exemplar for others to follow. It is a considerable honour to have been selected to lead the MOD as the Permanent Secretary as we transform the organisation whilst ensuring success on operations.

The Defence Secretary said:

Jon Thompson is well-known and highly respected in the MOD and I wish him well. I have worked with him closely and very much welcome his appointment.

I know that he will relish the opportunity to deliver a leaner and more efficient department that makes the hard-headed decisions that are required so that we can focus on maximising resources for the front line.

We have a lot of work to do to build on the balancing of the MOD’s budget, and we will work closely together to do so.

The Head of the Home Civil Service, Sir Bob Kerslake, said:

I am delighted that Jon Thompson will be taking the top job at the Ministry of Defence. He has the requisite skills, knowledge and experience to lead the Department through the challenges it faces, including delivering continued success on operations and a complex programme of transformational change and reform. I would also like to thank Tom McKane for his leadership of the Department during this interim period.

Jon Thompson will take up his new post on Monday 3 September 2012.

Jon Thompson

Jon was born in 1964 in Norwich, Norfolk, and is now a resident of Cambridgeshire. He is married to Dawn and has three sons.

Jon started his career at Norfolk County Council, qualifying for the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in 1989. He then spent two years at Eagle Star before joining Ernst & Young’s public sector practice. Jon rejoined local government in 1997 working for North Somerset Council where he undertook a number of finance and corporate services roles, rising to Director of Finance and Resources. In 2003 he joined Ofsted as its first Finance Director and in the Spring of 2004 was appointed Director General of Finance at the Department of Education and Skills. Following a Cabinet reshuffle in 2007 Jon led the creation of the Department for Children, Schools and Families and became Director General of Corporate Services.

Jon joined the Ministry of Defence in January 2009 to reform financial management and lead work to balance the Defence Budget. From 2008 to 2011 Jon was also the Head of the Government Finance Profession at Her Majesty’s Treasury with responsibility for overall financial management standards across the Civil Service.

Published 24 August 2012