Podcast appearances and mentions of dame helen ghosh

“I have used the term over the years of ‘having running away money'. That doesn't mean having a stash of savings, but it does mean all the time thinking to yourself, ‘If this job doesn't work, if I can't stand this a moment longer… what would I do?'” Dame Helen Ghosh enjoyed a long career in the civil service, becoming permanent secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2004 and then the Home Office in 2011. She then led the National Trust before becoming master of Balliol College, Oxford in 2018. In this episode Helen discusses the importance of embedding in and understanding what different organisations expect from a leader, drawing on her extensive experience of taking the helm in very different environments. She also considers the role of the civil service in serving the government of the day, and shares insights into her own hinterland and where she draws resilience from, as well as female leadership, dealing with public scrutiny and being open to the fact you may have made a mistake. If you would like to suggest an interviewee for the show, or tell us what you think, you can get in touch by emailing ggfeditor@gmail.com. If you are enjoying the show, we would really appreciate it if you could share it widely and give us a rating. Your host was Siobhan Benita. Kate Hodge edited the episode, and it was produced by James Ede.

Hilary McGrady is Director General of the National Trust. She was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in 1966, where her father was a builder while her mother looked after Hilary and her two older siblings. She spent her childhood roaming the fields near her home, 20 miles outside Belfast. She went to art college after school where she met her husband, Frank. Their relationship initially caused difficulty for her family who were staunch Protestants and unionists, while Frank’s came from a Catholic, nationalist area. After finishing her degree in Graphic Design, Hilary worked as a designer before moving into marketing and then into the charity sector for an organisation called Arts & Business. After working on Belfast’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to become European Capital of Culture she joined the National Trust in 2006 as regional director for Northern Ireland. She moved around the organisation, taking on ever bigger roles with every move, becoming Chief Operating Officer in 2014. She succeeded Dame Helen Ghosh as Director General in March 2018. Her major priority for the National Trust over the next decade is to tackle climate change and biodiversity, and she set out a ten-year plan in January 2020 to coincide with the Trust’s 125th anniversary. Hilary lives in County Antrim with her husband. They have three grown-up children, a dog and 16 ducks. She lists her interests as the arts, gardening and hill walking. Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Cathy Drysdale

On this episode of A Look at the Issues engages with Dame Helen Ghosh who is currently Master of Balliol College, Oxford, former Permanent Secretary at the UK's Departments for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and the Home Office about how government's respond to and design policy. Dame Helen reflects on her time as a senior civil servant and offers insights into how to manage a crisis similar to what we are facing. Also joining to discuss the politics of policymaking in their countries, are two public policy students at the Blavatnik School of Government. Felipe Saavedra from Colombia, and Toby Parker from the UK highlight some of the considerations that go into policy design, and also share insights into some of the challenges that policymakers face.

In this episode, we talk to Dame Helen Ghosh about the challenges of running a government department, why the National Trust is one of the most important institutions in the UK, and her first impressions upon becoming Master of Balliol College, Oxford.

A terrorist suspect has been shot and arrested in connection with this morning's attack in Paris, which saw six soldiers injured when a BMW mowed down their patrol. The 37-year-old was 'seriously wounded' in a fierce gunfight close to the northern port town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, after he was intercepted driving towards Calais. Dozens of flights in and out of Madeira were cancelled on Monday, stranding thousands of passengers. In Spain a looming airport strike over pay could run from September to December. The tourism law reform approved by the Balearic Government, in force since Tuesday, has put a stop to the accommodation of visitors in legal tourist establishments. The ceiling has been set at 623,624, of which the majority 435,707 are in Majorca An off-duty Madrid municipal policeman has been killed by a cut to his throat during a discussion in a bar in Vicálvaro district in the early hours of Tuesday A British teacher has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of distributing child pornography. The suspect, from Manchester, is accused of taking pictures of his pupils Since new rules came into force in June in Magaluf, 22 people have been fined for having sex in public, and 52 have been fined for public nudity as authorities try to clean up the resort's image. The French government logged 17,867 attempts to break into Calais' port and Channel Tunnel with over 12,300 asylum seekers trying to stow away on UK-bound lorries. Shocking new data reveals hundreds of pupils have been punished in the last four years for sexual acts, including assaulting or harassing other children The full municipality of the Pontevedra Town Hall of Ponteareas , of 23,000 inhabitants, agreed on Monday to enable a budget item to grant a productivity increase to staff members and staff who do not miss work or who make at least 90% of their work commitment. The number of police stations across the nation has been slashed by almost half in less than ten years. The brutal cutbacks have come as violent crime and terrorism have surged. The father of the young man murdered by gangster Kenneth Noye last night said the decision to move the killer to an open prison – and one step closer to freedom - was a ‘a real kick in the teeth’. Noye was jailed for life in 2000 for the murder of 21-year-old Stephen Cameron in a road rage attack four years earlier. Jeremy Corbyn has backed the right of all prisoners to vote in elections, the Mail can reveal. The Labour leader told a conference he believes ‘strongly’ that all inmates should vote. Social care is in such crisis that four in ten homes fail inspections. Watchdogs have reported on 5,300 care homes this year and 2,000 were found inadequate or in need of improvement. It means 70,000 vulnerable residents and patients are at risk. Inspectors found elderly who were left filthy and starving. Others were locked in their bedrooms with no natural light. A grassroots revolt has been credited with forcing the National Trust to change its policy on making volunteers wear gay pride badges. The 48-hour backlash saw at least 240 members rip up their subscriptions. On Saturday, a letter from the trust’s outgoing head Dame Helen Ghosh defending the rule on the rainbow ID badges, which mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, appeared in a national newspaper.

A terrorist suspect has been shot and arrested in connection with this morning's attack in Paris, which saw six soldiers injured when a BMW mowed down their patrol. The 37-year-old was 'seriously wounded' in a fierce gunfight close to the northern port town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, after he was intercepted driving towards Calais. Dozens of flights in and out of Madeira were cancelled on Monday, stranding thousands of passengers. In Spain a looming airport strike over pay could run from September to December. The tourism law reform approved by the Balearic Government, in force since Tuesday, has put a stop to the accommodation of visitors in legal tourist establishments. The ceiling has been set at 623,624, of which the majority 435,707 are in Majorca An off-duty Madrid municipal policeman has been killed by a cut to his throat during a discussion in a bar in Vicálvaro district in the early hours of Tuesday A British teacher has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of distributing child pornography. The suspect, from Manchester, is accused of taking pictures of his pupils Since new rules came into force in June in Magaluf, 22 people have been fined for having sex in public, and 52 have been fined for public nudity as authorities try to clean up the resort's image. The French government logged 17,867 attempts to break into Calais' port and Channel Tunnel with over 12,300 asylum seekers trying to stow away on UK-bound lorries. Shocking new data reveals hundreds of pupils have been punished in the last four years for sexual acts, including assaulting or harassing other children The full municipality of the Pontevedra Town Hall of Ponteareas , of 23,000 inhabitants, agreed on Monday to enable a budget item to grant a productivity increase to staff members and staff who do not miss work or who make at least 90% of their work commitment. The number of police stations across the nation has been slashed by almost half in less than ten years. The brutal cutbacks have come as violent crime and terrorism have surged. The father of the young man murdered by gangster Kenneth Noye last night said the decision to move the killer to an open prison – and one step closer to freedom - was a ‘a real kick in the teeth’. Noye was jailed for life in 2000 for the murder of 21-year-old Stephen Cameron in a road rage attack four years earlier. Jeremy Corbyn has backed the right of all prisoners to vote in elections, the Mail can reveal. The Labour leader told a conference he believes ‘strongly’ that all inmates should vote. Social care is in such crisis that four in ten homes fail inspections. Watchdogs have reported on 5,300 care homes this year and 2,000 were found inadequate or in need of improvement. It means 70,000 vulnerable residents and patients are at risk. Inspectors found elderly who were left filthy and starving. Others were locked in their bedrooms with no natural light. A grassroots revolt has been credited with forcing the National Trust to change its policy on making volunteers wear gay pride badges. The 48-hour backlash saw at least 240 members rip up their subscriptions. On Saturday, a letter from the trust’s outgoing head Dame Helen Ghosh defending the rule on the rainbow ID badges, which mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, appeared in a national newspaper.

In this introductory lecture Dame Helen Ghosh and Professor Karen O'Brien discuss the history, current vision and future ambition of their respective organisations.

In this introductory lecture Dame Helen Ghosh and Professor Karen O'Brien discuss the history, current vision and future ambition of their respective organisations.

The history of the National Trust with Dame Helen Ghosh and Patrick Barkham.

Matthew Parris's guest is Dame Helen Ghosh, Director General of the National Trust, who chooses as her Great Life James Lees-Milne who worked for the Trust between 1936 and 1966. He was responsible for acquiring many of the Trust's most iconic properties and his particular talent was his ability to persuade the aristocratic owners of the houses into handing them over to the Trust for protection. His other talent was in writing, and it is his deliciously indiscreet diaries for which many people know him. Merlin Waterson, who was a friend of Lees-Milne's, is the expert witness. Producer Christine Hall.

The most senior official at the Home Office is resigning after a 33-year civil service career. Dame Helen Ghosh - who has led the department since January 2011 - will take up the role of director general of the National Trust. She is one of a number of permanent secretaries who have left the civil service this year. She said she was "torn about leaving" but the chance to work for the National Trust was "a rare opportunity". Dame Helen Ghosh has worked in Government since 1979 for both Conservative and Labour Ministers. Her tenure included controversy at Defra over the Rural Payments Agency and more recently at the Home Office with concerns over the Border Agency. Chris Bowlby assesses her career and the qualities that propelled her to the senior ranks in Whitehall and asks what they tell us about the approach she is likely to bring to her new role. Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.