Pardee Alumni Appointed Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government
On January 5, 2021, John-Paul (JP) Marks (Pardee MAIR ’03) assumed the role of Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government.
As the most senior civil servant in Scotland and head of the civil service supporting the Scottish Government, the Permanent Secretary is the principal policy adviser to the First Minister and Secretary to the Scottish Cabinet.
In discussing his appointment, Marks made the following statement:
I am delighted to take up the role of Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. I am grateful to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for this exciting opportunity. I would like to thank all the teams at the Department for Work & Pensions for their support and public service over the years. I look forward to joining the team in Scotland in the New Year as we do our very best for Scotland in these important years ahead.
Marks will direct the Scottish Government civil service to deliver the full range of devolved powers and duties set out in the Scotland Acts. As the principal accountable officer for the Scottish Government, he is personally responsible to the Scottish Parliament for the exercise of his responsibilities. This includes the management of the Scottish Government’s £49 billion budget and the economic, efficient, and effective use of all related resources.
Prior to this appointment, Marks served as Director General (DG) of Work and Health Services at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Prior to that, he was DG Operations at DWP. His other posts include Operations Director, Universal Credit Programme and Work Services Director at DWP, and Head of Corporate, International Relations at the UK Pensions Regulator.