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Director General, Industrial Strategy

Sam Lister

Biography

Sam Lister is on secondment to No 10 North, where he has been Director General since its establishment in July 2026. This is within the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Prior to this, Sam was the Director General for Industrial Strategy at the former Department for Business and Trade (DBT) from 2024 to 2026, prior to the establishment of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) in July 2026. He was responsible for shaping and delivering the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy, designed to provide long-term certainty for business investment, foster innovation, and drive sustainable economic growth across the UK.

Prior to DBT, Sam was Director General for Strategy and Operations at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). His portfolio included strategy and pan-departmental policy, commercial, finance, communication, research and analysis, human resources (HR) and organisational change, and legal affairs.

Sam was also responsible for Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Prior to this, he was Director of Communication at the Department of Health.

Before joining the Civil Service in 2011, Sam spent 12 years as a correspondent, news editor, and health editor at The Times.

Director General, Industrial Strategy

The Director General for Industrial Strategy is responsible for:

  • overseeing the government’s industrial strategy to provide businesses with the long-term certainty they need to invest in sectors and places of highest growth potential, tackling barriers to increased investment and high-quality jobs, and ensuring tangible impact in communities right across the UK
  • leading the strategic centre of the department, and the planning and coordination of work to drive sustainable growth, trade and the creation of good jobs, the department’s analysis group, the Chief Economist, the Office for the Chief Scientific Adviser and its global futures directorate

Previous roles in government

  • Director General, Industrial Strategy
    • 2024 to 2026
  • Director General for Strategy and Operations
    • 2023 to 2024
  • Director General for Strategy and Operations
    • 2020 to 2023
  • Director General for Performance and Strategy
    • 2019 to 2020
  • Director General, Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation, BEIS
    • 2019 to 2019