Melanie Dawes

Melanie Dawes CB
Permanent Secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 March 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Sir Bob Kerslake
Personal details
Born	Melanie Henrietta Dawes 1966 (age 49–50)
Spouse(s)	Benedict Brogan
Children	One daughter
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath (2013)

Melanie Henrietta Dawes, CB (born 1966) is a British economist and civil servant. Since March 2015, she has been Permanent Secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government. She was the first permanent secretary to be appointed under a new scheme in which the Prime Minister has the final say over selection. She previously worked at HM Treasury, at HM Revenue and Customs, and in the Cabinet Office.

Career

Dawes joined Her Majesty's Civil Service in 1991.^[1] She spent the first 15 years of her civil service career at HM Treasury, ending her time there in the role of Europe Director from 2002 to 2006. Then, from 2006 to 2011, she worked at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). She was Director General for Business Tax at HMRC from November 2007, replacing Dave Hartnett.^[2] From October 2011 to 2015, she was Director General of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.^[2][3][4]

In January 2015, Dawes was announced as the next Permanent Secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government, succeeding Sir Bob Kerslake.^[5] She was the first permanent secretary to be appointed under a new scheme in which the Prime Minister has the final say in the recruitment process; the PM now chooses directly from a list created by the Civil Service Commissioners, rather than only having a veto over the Commissioners' preferred candidate.^[5][6] She took up the position on 1 March 2015.^[2]

On 1 March 2015, Dawes was additionally appointed the Civil Service Gender Champion. She was a judge for the 2015 Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Awards.^[7]

As of 2015, Dawes was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999 by DCLG, making her one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.^[8]

Personal life

Dawes is married to Benedict Brogan and together they have a daughter.^[3][9][10]

Honours

In the Queen's Birthday Honours for 2013, Dawes was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) "for services to the Civil Service in the field of Economic Policy".^[11]

References

1. Atkinson, Mark; Elliott, Larry (9 November 1999). "Brown's mechanics behind the machinations of government". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
2. "Melanie Dawes CB". GOV.UK. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
3. "Women of the Year". 30 July 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
4. "New Head of Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat appointed - Announcements - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
5. "New Permanent Secretary for the Department for Communities and Local Government". Department for Communities and Local Government. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
6. "Lying in wait: who will be the permanent secretaries meeting the new ministers in 2015?". Institute for Government. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
7. "Judges". Diversity and Inclusion Awards. 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
8. "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
9. Dawes, Melanie (16 March 2015). "International Women's Day – guest blog from Melanie Dawes". Civil Service Blog. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
10. "At Home with Lord Rothermere: Our Top Tax Man and the Non-Dom Press Baron". Private Eye (1231). 6 March 2009. Dawes, a career Treasury civil servant said by some to have been drafted into HMRC to keep an eye on the taxmen, just happens to be married to Benedict Brogan
11. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60534. p. 2. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2015.

Offices held