Stepping up from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) where she was Legal Director, Caroline takes up her new position in early June. She joins the department's Executive Team and Board working closely with her 2 fellow Directors General and the Treasury Solicitor Susanna McGibbon, bringing with her a wealth of experience thanks to a 30-year career as a government lawyer.
Her role sees her responsible for teams of lawyers working on some of the most high-profile and demanding legal issues of the day. Their work touches on all aspects of everyday life from education to healthcare. Her directorate includes the GLD Employment Group and legal advisers at the Department for Education, the Equalities Hub, the Department for Transport, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
A barrister who was called to the Bar in 1991, Caroline joined the Civil Service in 1992, beginning her career in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, and has gone on to hold Senior Civil Service posts advising a variety of government departments including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Cabinet Office. Caroline has been Legal Director of DHSC since November 2020.
On her appointment Caroline says:
"I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed as Director General. I'm proud to have been a government lawyer for almost my whole career, and I love the intellectual challenge of our work, the positivity of our inclusive, collaborative culture and the excitement of working at the heart of UK politics."
"I am really excited about my new role, and looking forward to helping shape the next phase in the life of GLD."
Caroline will be working alongside Mel Nebhrajani CB, Director General of the Litigation with Justice and Security Directorate and Elizabeth Hambley, Director General of the Commercial with Trade and International Directorate. Current Director General Jessica de Mounteney will be returning to her position as Legal Director for the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
The Government Legal Department (GLD) is responsible for delivering legal services to the government so it may deliver on its priorities. Our life changing law is at the heart of every Act and every legal case involving the government, impacting the lives of citizens up and down the country. GLD has offices in London, Croydon, Leeds, Bristol, and Manchester.
