Strategy Director at Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education

Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

Dr Rachel Cooper is Director of Strategy at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education – as a jobshare partnership with Beth Chaudhary.

Previously, Rachel was Strategy Director for the Cabinet Office, where the role supported Ministers and the Permanent Secretary on the Cabinet Office’s future direction, performance and delivery. Prior to this appointment, they were the first Principal Private Secretary jobshare in the Civil Service, working to John Manzoni - Chief Executive of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office. Rachel has held a number of roles in BEIS and DECC leading on energy policy including tackling fuel poverty, energy efficiency in homes and most recently on smart energy – together with Beth, they led on the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan (2017) which set out Government’s ambition for a smart electricity network to support a low carbon future and has a road map for the current energy agenda.

Continuing Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

Beth Chaudhary is Director of Strategy at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education – as a jobshare partnership with Rachel Cooper. She focuses on how to measure impact of more high quality apprenticeships and qualifications, e.g. on national productivity, levelling up, social mobility, diversity and inclusion, etc, as well as how to future-proof our new standards, focusing on opportunities in the net zero space and also how to support a wider range of employers, especially SMEs to benefit.

Previously, she was the Director of Strategy at the Cabinet Office as part of a job share, Principal Private Secretary to the Chief Executive of the Civil Service and CO Permanent Secretary at Cabinet Office. Other previous roles included head of Smart Energy Policy in BEIS (job share) and, before that, Beth worked on the Renewable Heat Incentive as head of operations, and in the Fuel Poverty team where she designed the first Energy Company Obligation.

Prior to joining DECC in 2008, Beth was in the Cabinet Office coordinating the EU Climate and Energy Package and had various roles in Defra and the French Environment Ministry, including private secretary to both the French and British Secretaries of State.