Martin Donnelly
Permanent Secretary
Biography
Martin Donnelly joined the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as Permanent Secretary in October 2010. Prior to this, he was acting Permanent Secretary at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) from May to August 2010, guiding the department through the first months of the new government. At the end of 2009 he led the Cabinet Office review which produced the Smarter Government Report and in 2008-09 was on secondment to Ofcom as Senior International Partner.
Martin has extensive economic and international experience. He joined the FCO Board in 2004 as Director General, Europe and Globalisation, where he was G8 foreign affairs sherpa. Between 1998 and 2003 he was the Deputy Head of the Cabinet Office European Secretariat, leading work on European economic reform for No.10. He has also been a member of the personal staff of Leon Brittan, then European Commission Vice President, and been on secondment to the French Finance Ministry.
During his career, Martin has worked on policy across Whitehall and with key business stakeholders. He was Policy Director of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate at the Home Office and led the Treasury team controlling defence spending and managing European monetary issues. He has served as Private Secretary to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Martin studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford and international economics at the College of Europe, Bruges. He has also studied at the Ecole Nationale D’Administration Paris. He is married, with three daughters at university. He plays the piano and guitar, and enjoys hill walking.
