With the end of 2018 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2019 – and tell us who would turn on their town’s Christmas lights.
What was your highlight of 2018?
The way the whole commercial function worked seamlessly with operational colleagues across central government and the wider public sector to ensure the regrettable collapse of Carillion did not impact public service delivery.
What was the hardest part of being a leader in 2018?
We are working within a fast moving environment at the moment, and ensuring the function delivers for departments has been really important.
What are the main challenges facing your function in the coming year?
Rolling out contract management training across central government is something we are really focusing on. The ongoing capability work has improved our ability to put excellent contracts in place, and we are working hard to ensure we have best in class contract management skills in place for all our contract managers.
Which celebrity or historical figure would you choose to turn on the Christmas lights in your town, and why?
Roger Federer (left). He would turn on the lights with a certain style.