Sir Brian Geoffrey Bender (25 February 1949 – 4 November 2021) was a British civil servant, who served as the

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...

of three departments, two of which were re-organised whilst he was at their helm. Educated at Greenford Grammar School and then

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

where he received his PhD, Bender joined the civil service in 1973 into DTI. After serving as the private secretary to the

Secretary of State for Trade The secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The incumbent is a memb ...

in 1976–1977, he worked in international trade issues including two stints at UKREP, from 1977 to 1982 on international steel issues and again in a more senior post responsible for all industry, for 1987–1989, returning to London to be promoted to Under Secretary to serve as deputy head of the

European Secretariat The European Secretariat was a secretariat in the United Kingdom Cabinet Office. See also * Defence and Overseas Secretariat * Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat * Civil Contingencies Secretariat The Civil Contingencies Secretariat ( ...

in the Cabinet Office in 1990. Having returned briefly to DTI to lead the regional development directorate in 1993, in 1994 Bender was promoted to Deputy Secretary, heading the European Secretariat. Promoted to permanent secretary five years later, Bender was first the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office from 1999 until 2000, then he was appointed to head the

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

in May 2000, replacing Sir Richard Packer. MAFF was renamed and expanded to form the

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United K ...

in 2001, which he led until 2005, being replaced by Dame Helen Ghosh. Sir Brian then took over from Sir Robin Young as the head of the Department of Trade and Industry. The DTI was itself reformed into the

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was a United Kingdom government department. The department was created on 28 June 2007 on the disbanding of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and was itself disbanded ...

, which he led until his mandatory retirement from the civil service aged 60 in 2009, handing over briefly to Sir Simon Fraser. After his retirement, Sir Brian became chairman of the

London Metal Exchange The London Metal Exchange (LME) is a futures and forwards exchange with the world's largest market in standarised forward contracts, futures contracts and options on base metals. The exchange also offers contracts on ferrous metals and precious ...

in April 2010, and of

Water UK Water UK is the trade association representing the water companies of the United Kingdom Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of ...

since 2015. Sir Brian was a governor of

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

since 2009, a trustee of Lloyd's Register Foundation from 2013, and a non-executive Director of

Pool Re Pool Reinsurance Company Limited, also known as Pool Re, was set up in 1993 by the insurance industry in cooperation with the UK Government in the wake of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, IRA Baltic Exchange bomb, bombing of the Baltic Excha ...

and of the

Financial Reporting Council The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is an independent regulator in the UK and Ireland based in London Wall in the City of London, responsible for regulating auditors, accountants and actuaries, and setting the UK's Corporate Governance and ...

each from 2014. Bender was appointed twice to the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

; originally, a Companion (CB), and later as a Knight Commander (KCB) in the

2003 Birthday Honours The 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 2003 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 2003 for New Zealand. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour. United Kingdom Knight Bachelo ...

. He died on 4 November 2021, at the age of 72.

References

Offices held

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Brian 1949 births 2021 deaths Permanent Secretaries of the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Private secretaries in the British Civil Service Alumni of Imperial College London Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath