Dame Bernadette Mary Kelly (born 10 March 1964) is a British senior civil servant who has served as

permanent secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior civil servant of a department or ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are the non-political civil ...

for the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...

since 18 April 2017.

Early life

Kelly was born on 10 March 1964 to Edward and Teresa Kelly. Her father was a bus driver. She was educated at

King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls is a selective grammar school in Kings Heath, Birmingham, for students aged 11 to 18 (Year 7 to Year 13). It is one of the most academically successful schools in the United Kingdom, currently ranked 10t ...

in Birmingham, followed by the

University of Hull , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 million ...

. She gained an MBA at Imperial College, London.

Career

Kelly joined the Civil Service after graduating, and worked in the

Department for Communities and Local Government The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local governme ...

, the Treasury,

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government object ...

and the

Number 10 Policy Unit The Number 10 Policy Unit is a body of policymakers based in 10 Downing Street, providing policy advice directly to the British Prime Minister. Originally set up to support Harold Wilson in 1974, it has gone through a series of guises to suit the ...

. She was a director general at the

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills , type = Department , logo = Department for Business, Innovation and Skills logo.svg , logo_width = 200px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Лондан. 2014. Жнівень 26.JPG , seal = , se ...

from 2010 until 2015, when she became director general for the Rail Group in the Department for Transport, a post she held until she was appointed permanent secretary for that department on 18 April 2017. Her promotion followed Philip Rutnam's move to the Home Office. Kelly was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregiv ...

(CB) in 2010 and

Dame Commander of 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 ...

(DCB) in the

2022 Birthday Honours The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

for services to government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Bernadette Living people 1964 births Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Transport Civil servants in HM Treasury Civil servants in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Dames Commander of the Order of the Bath People educated at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls