049/06
7 April 2006
Dame Sue Street To Retire From DCMS In September
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) today announced that its Permanent Secretary, Dame Sue Street DCB, will retire in September.
Dame Sue has led the department since 2001, and has helped deliver increased opportunities for participation in sport and the arts, as well as important projects including the Commonwealth Games 2002, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the winning bid for the 2012 Olympics
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, said:
“Sue has been a great asset to DCMS and will be very much missed. She has helped put DCMS on the map, and steered it through some major pieces of work, not least the BBC charter review, a timetable for digital switch-over and, most notably, in bringing the 2012 Olympics to London. In all that she has done she has stressed the huge economic role in our national life that the department has to play. I know that she will bring all her very considerable energy and talents to her future endeavours.”
The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O’Donnell, said:
“Sue Street has steered the DCMS through some very challenging times, positioning the department at the heart of Government, maximising links with the creative economy and culminating in the Olympic bid last year. That success, and her leadership since, has seen Britain get off to a flying start as the host nation for the Olympics in 2012.”
Dame Sue said:
“This has been my dream job in Whitehall. Now, after nearly five years at DCMS, I want to go at the top of my game. I want to take up new opportunities in the private sector, while continuing my lifelong association with the arts.
“DCMS has achieved a huge amount in the last few years and I couldn’t be more proud of my colleagues. It has been a privilege to work with them, with Tessa Jowell and her team, and with the world-class organisations we sponsor. I am confident I’ll leave the department in great shape to sustain the momentum all the way to 2012 and beyond.”
Dame Sue will retire in September. After a few weeks’ break she intends to undertake a portfolio of work in the public and private sectors.
Notes to Editors
Dame Sue joined DCMS in 2001. Please see biography below.
Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6273
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Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200
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Dame Sue Street - Biography
Sue Street has been the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) since December 2001. She is responsible for the overall strategy, delivery and expenditure for the whole department. This includes major projects like the London 2012 Olympic Games and the renewal of the BBC Charter, as well as policy for the arts, culture, heritage, sport, broadcasting, tourism and the creative industries such as film and fashion design.
Sue’s professional background spans both the civil service and the private sector. Sue joined the Home Office in 1974, taking a career break between 1976-82 to raise her family and work with the British Council in Bogota, Colombia. Returning to the Home Office in 1982, she worked on prevention of terrorism legislation and related high security issues. Later, she directed the Top Management Programme at the Cabinet Office, an intensive development programme for top managers in the public and private sectors.
This was followed by three years as a senior management consultant in the City with Price Waterhouse Cooper, leading strategy and efficiency work with a variety of public and private sector businesses. In 1994, Sue was appointed to lead the Government’s anti-drugs strategy at the Cabinet Office. She returned to the Home Office in 1996 as Director, fire and emergency planning and was promoted to lead the criminal policy group in 1999 with wide ranging responsibilities for criminal justice.
Sue is married with two children in their twenties. She enjoys all things cultural, especially dance and the visual arts. She plays bad tennis, worse golf and supports Arsenal. Sue was awarded the DCB in the Birthday Honours 2005.
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