How can government be transformed?
30 April 2025, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Location: Online / Institute for Government, 2 Carlton Gardens, London SW1Y 5AA
Think tank: Institute for Government

At this event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Government Michael Jary, the government’s former lead Non-Executive Director, sets out his views on Whitehall reform.
Keir Starmer has said that “nothing less than the complete re-wiring of the British state” is needed for the public sector – and in particular the civil service – to deliver the government’s agenda. So what should this transformation look like – and how can it be made to last?
As the government’s former lead Non-Executive Director, Michael Jary CBE worked closely with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Cabinet Secretary, the Civil Service Chief Operating Officer, as well as other senior civil servants across government, and has an unparalleled view on what works in Whitehall – and beyond – and what needs to change. In a speech at the IfG, he will set out his views on what needs to change – and how this change can be embedded throughout the civil service – before taking part in a panel conversation.
Speakers
Josie Cluer – Partner, People Advisory Services at Ernst & Young LLP
Alex Thomas – Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Quin – former Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The event will be chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.