Jo Shanmugalingam
Biography
Jo Shanmugalingam became Interim Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport (DfT) on 16 June 2025 after being Second Permanent Secretary at DfT since 30 May 2023.
Jo was previously Director General for Science, Innovation and Growth at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) from its creation in February 2023, having originally been appointed in July 2019 as Director General, Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation in the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Before joining BEIS, Jo was Director of Corporate Effectiveness at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Strategy Director at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) as part of a jobshare with Susannah Storey.
Jo started her career at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). She spent 6 years at the Shareholder Executive (now UKGI), where she was responsible for taking the legislation to privatise Royal Mail through Parliament and for the government鈥檚 shareholder interests in businesses, including Post Office Ltd and Ordnance Survey.
Interim Permanent Secretary
Responsible for the overall management of the department. 皇冠体育app Permanent Secretary sits on the department鈥檚 board.
皇冠体育app role of the department鈥檚 board is to:
- ensure effective governance and properly manage risks
- shape and direct a shared agenda for the department as a whole, both to deliver ministers鈥� priorities and to build capability
- monitor performance and risk, making choices (or recommendations to ministers) on priorities/risk appetite
Previous roles in government
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Second Permanent Secretary
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Director General, Science, Innovation and Growth
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Director General, Science, Innovation and Growth, BEIS
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Director General, Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation, BEIS