Tricia Hayes CB
Biography
Tricia Hayes CB is a former civil service Permanent Secretary with senior leadership experience across the Home Office and the Department for Transport (DfT). She served as Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office from July 2021 to April 2023, where she held responsibility for operational functions and corporate capabilities. Before this, she was Director General for the Public Safety Group, and earlier Director General for Crime, Policing and Fire.
Prior to joining the Home Office in 2020, Tricia spent most of her career in the Department for Transport, which she first joined in 1987. Her roles there included Director General for Roads, Places and Environment (2016–2020), leading work on roads, transport decarbonisation, traffic and road safety, sustainable travel, bus services, freight, and road transport aspects of EU Exit. From 2013 to 2016, she served as the UK Director of Aviation, overseeing domestic and international aviation policy and aviation security. Her earlier career also included a three-year loan to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, running the transport desk at the British Embassy in Washington DC.
Since leaving the civil service in 2023, Tricia has taken on several non-executive and advisory roles. She is Chair of London TravelWatch, sits on the Board of Transport Focus, and is a Member of the British Transport Police Authority.
In 2025, Tricia conducted an independent audit of the BSR providing an overview of operational concerns and providing recommendations for improving operational performance and engagement with MHCLG.
Previous roles in government
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Second Permanent Secretary
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Director General, Public Safety Group
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Director General, Crime, Policing and Fire Group
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Director General Road Transport Group