Former Permanent Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Former Head, Government Policy Profession

Policy Leaders Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

Member of CSaP Advisory Council

Tamara Finkelstein was the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to June 2025, having previously led the department’s work on EU Exit Delivery. Before that she led the Building Safety Programme in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Tamara previously worked at HM Treasury where she started as an economist, and her roles included private secretary and speechwriter to the Chancellor, and leading on public services expenditure (including health, education and housing). She worked in a number of other government departments on policy and delivery in health and children’s services, including as Deputy Head of Sure Start, and as Director General for Community Care at the Department of Health and Social Care, with responsibility for social care and community services.

Her board experience includes roles on the boards of NS&I, the Debt Management Office and the UK Border Agency. She was Secretary to Lord Hutton’s Independent Public Service Pensions Commission.

She was head of the Government Policy Profession and senior sponsor of the Civil Service Jewish Network.