Business Breakfast with Bernadette Kelly – Director General, Rail Group, Department for Transport

Bernadette will set out HMG’s views and some of the key challenges and priorities for rail over the next five years.

ABOUT BERNADETTE

Bernadette Kelly became Director General, Rail Group, Department for Transport in September 2015. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the biggest programme of Government investment in classic rail infrastructure in decades; a portfolio of major projects including Crossrail, Thameslink and Great Western Electrification; rail passenger franchising; and development of the Government’s future long-term rail strategy.

From 2010 Bernadette was a Director General in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) where she led work on local growth and devolution; industrial strategy;

reform of the EU Single Market; and competition reform including creation of the Competition and Markets Authority.

Bernadette joined the Civil Service after graduating. She has spent most of her career working on public policy in relation to business and the economy. She has led work within government to improve the regulation of utility sectors; reform the planning regime; increase housing supply; strengthen the corporate governance of companies; and manage public sector pay and expenditure.

In addition to BIS and the Department for Transport, Bernadette has also worked at HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit, and the Department of Communities and Local Government; as well as on secondment to ICI plc.

Bernadette was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2010 for her services to housing and planning.