Sir Richard Wilson
Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service (UK)This speaker's paper is available here.
Sir Richard Wilson has been Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service since 3 January 1998 when he succeeded Sir Robin now Lord Butler of Brockwell.
Sir Richard Wilson is 57 and was educated at Radley College and Clare College, Cambridge. He joined the Board of Trade in 1966 as an Assistant Principal and his early posts included periods as Private Secretary to the Minister of State and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State. He served in the Cabinet Office from 1971 to 1973. He transferred to the Department of Energy in 1974 where he held posts dealing with energy policy, atomic energy and the privatisation of Britoil. He was promoted to Assistant Secretary in 1977 and subsequently to Under Secretary in 1982, when he became Principal Establishment and Finance Officer. In 1986 he was seconded to the Cabinet Office (Management and Personnel Office) in charge of the Personnel Management Group, and in 1987 he became Head of the Economic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. In 1990 he moved to the Treasury as Deputy Secretary (Industry) on the public expenditure side and was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Department of the Environment in June 1992. In April 1994 he was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Home Office.
Sir Richard is married with two children. His interests include gardening and water colours. He received a KCB in the New Year Honours list in 1997.
