Talk by Sir Mark Sedwill, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service

Join alumnus Sir Mark Sedwill, Head of the Civil Service and Cabinet Secretary to the UK Government, as he reflects upon his role as the Government's most senior adviser and the strategic issues the UK will face in a post-Brexit world.

Sir Mark graduated from the University of St Andrews with a Master's degree in Economics in the 1980s; he is now Cabinet Secretary, in which capacity he is the Government's most senior adviser on strategy, policy and implementation. He is Secretary to the Cabinet and the National Security Council and, as Head of the Civil Service, leads over 400,000 civil servants in HM Government.

In the course of his career, Sir Mark has exemplified the University's motto, Ever to Excel. Sir Mark's career has been at all turns distinguished and celebrated: after completing undergraduate studies at St Andrews and postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford, Sir Mark joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and served in Egypt, Iraq, Cyprus and Pakistan. He has since served as HM Ambassador to Afghanistan, the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, Political Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Permanent Secretary at the Home Office. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2018.

The afternoon will feature a talk by Sir Mark followed by a question and answer session, during which audience members will have the opportunity to pose questions. It will be introduced and chaired by Principal Professor Sally Mapstone.

The event is free and open to all students and staff. Registration is not required, although spaces are limited and admission will be on a first come first served basis.