With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Permanent secretary, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Infrastructure and Projects Authority chief executive Tony Meggs, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Philip Rutnam, Department for Transport permanent secretary and the civil service's disability champion, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Rowena Collins Rice, director general at the Attorney General's Office, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Sue Owen, permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Amyas Morse, comptroller and auditor general, the National Audit Office, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Paula Sussex, chief executive officer of the Charity Commission, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

Police forces across London have stepped up the fight against crime by using Microsoft’s Azure cloud service

Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Government communications executive director Alex Aiken takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites.Clare Moriarty, permanent secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) chief executive Oliver Morley takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Stephen Lovegrove, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence, kicks off our annual perm secs round-up​

After three years away from Whitehall, Ian Watmore is back — this time as head of the organisation upholding the very values of the civil service. The new first civil service commissioner sits down with Matt Foster to talk reform, diversity, and why, as a departmental leader, you can no longer "just draft your way out of a problem”

Microsoft looks at how it's cloud technologies are helping the MOD meet its digital transformation agenda

Microsoft shares key findings from one of the largest studies of business and IT leaders around digital transformation

To win at the dice game Perudo, players need to calculate risk and read their opponents. No surprise, then, that Gus O’Donnell is a master. Britain’s former top civil servant talks Blair, Brown and life after Brexit with The House magazine's Sam Macrory

Microsoft's Natalia Boldyreva looks at how Office 365 can fundamentally transform how government work gets done

David Cameron’s policy guru ruminates on his career over lunch with CSW's Suzannah Brecknell

After a career in journalism spanning the Financial Times, The Times and Prospect, Bronwen Maddox has taken the helm of the Institute for Government. She tells Jess Bowie about her vision for the IfG’s future – and spills the beans on dinner with Russian president Vladimir Putin

A new resource from the Centre for Public Impact rates the effectiveness of policy initiatives from around the world. Mark Smulian reports

As well as leading the Ministry of Justice through a time of immense challenge and change, Richard Heaton is also busy trying to break down the barriers holding back black and minority ethnic civil servants. He tells Suzannah Brecknell why he’s optimistic about the future. Photos: Paul Heartfield