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- Archive 2019
- 2015 Elections: 11 new BME MP’s make history
- 70th Anniversary of the Partition of India
- Black Church Manifesto Questionnaire
- Brett Bailey: Exhibit B
- Briefing Paper: Ethnic Minorities in Politics and Public Life
- Civil Rights Leader Ratna Lachman dies
- ELLE Magazine: Young, Gifted, and Black
- External Jobs
- FeaturedVideo
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- Gary Younge Book Sale
- George Osborne's budget increases racial disadvantage
- Goldsmiths Students' Union External Trustee
- International Commissioners condemn the appalling murder of Tyre Nichols
- Iqbal Wahhab OBE empowers Togo prisoners
- Job Vacancy: Head of Campaigns and Communications
- Media and Public Relations Officer for Jean Lambert MEP (full-time)
- Number 10 statement - race disparity unit
- Pathway to Success 2022
- Please donate £10 or more
- Rashan Charles had no Illegal Drugs
- Serena Williams: Black women should demand equal pay
- Thank you for your donation
- The Colour of Power 2021
- The Power of Poetry
- The UK election voter registration countdown begins now
- Volunteering roles at Community Alliance Lewisham (CAL)
Sharon White breaks treasury’s glass ceiling
Sharon White, current Director General of Public Spending, has been appointed Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, the first woman and Black person to occupy the post.
Named by the Treasury as the “overwhelmingly best candidate for the job”, White is a seasoned and versatile civil servant with over 20 years experience in government public spending, welfare reform, and international development.
White worked at a church in a deprived area of Birmingham until 1989 when she joined the civil service. Since then she’s worked in the Department of Education and Science, the Department of Work and Pensions, and the Justice Ministry in addition to a stint at the British Embassy in Washington and international work with the World Bank.
In 2011, she led a review of the Treasury’s management response to the financial crisis before becoming Director General of Public Spending in 2012. In her new role, White will be responsible for tax, spending and borrowing issues as well as implementing the government’s ongoing spending cuts.
Parliament Secretary to the Treasury is considered one of the most influential roles in Her Majesty’s Civil Service, second only to Cabinet Secretary, and before now, it’s only been held by white males.
OBV's Director Simon Woolley stated,
Sharon White has not broken the glass ceiling, she's shattered it. This is a good day for our democracy and great day for the Black community. There is no doubt that Black girls will see White and aspire to achieve as she has done"
White said in a 2012 interview with the Guardian.
I think the Treasury has been seen by people on the outside as having quite a macho culture. This may partly reflect the fact that economics as a discipline is still very male dominated,”
Yet the Treasury’s outspoken critic may now be its greatest ally. White’s appointment is a sign of hope that diversification at high government levels can take place, and she herself may be the agent of change to transform it from the inside out.
Mallory Moench