Permanent Secretary
Paul Kissack
Biography
Paul Kissack was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 October 2025.
From 2020 until 2025, Paul Kissack was Group Chief Executive of the Joseph Roundtree Foundation and of the Joseph Roundtree Housing Trust.
His previous senior civil service posts include:
- Director General for Strategy and Change at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.
- Deputy Chief Executive, Ministry for Children, New Zealand between 2017 and 2019
- Director General of Children’s Services, Equalities and Communication, Department for Education from 2014 to 2017
- Director of Children’s Social Care Policy, Department for Education
- Principal Private Secretary to the Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell
- Deputy Director of Productivity and Reform, HM Treasury
- Head of Communications and Press Spokesman for the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown
Permanent Secretary
Responsible for the overall management of the Department.
- Principal Accounting Officer for Defra
- Member of the Defra Board
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Civil Service Board
Previous roles in government
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Director General for Strategy and Water
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Director General for Europe, international and constitution group
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Director General, Social Care, Mobility and Equalities