Helen Judge

Biography

Helen was appointed Director General for Performance and Strategy in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (formerly known as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) on 1 April 2017. She is responsible for the department’s corporate functions as well as for the relationship with arm’s length bodies, the Office for Civil Society and the culture and sport portfolios. Helen also shares responsibility with the senior leadership for ensuring that all parts of the department are linked and opportunities maximised.

Career highlights include:

  • A background in local development consultancy, Helen worked across the United Kingdom, European Union and countries in Central and Eastern Europe preparing to join the European Union

  • Joining the Civil Service in 2002, Helen worked on local delivery and criminal justice in the Strategic Policy team of the Home Office. From here she joined the Department for Communities and Local Government as a Deputy Director leading on race equality across government

  • In 2007 Helen joined the Ministry of Justice at its inception to work in the National Offender Management Service. Subsequently, she contributed right across the criminal justice system and led policy on adult and youth offending, sentencing and criminal law, and led major transformation programmes as well as day-to-day policy

  • From 2014 Helen brought her experience to a secondment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where she led on a number of aspects of policy and legislation

Previous roles in government

  • Director General for Culture, Sport and Civil Society (Jobshare)
  • Director General for Performance and Strategy