Tamara Finkelstein

Dame Tamara Margaret Finkelstein (born 24 May 1967) is a British former civil servant who, since February 2026, has been the CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering. She was formerly the permanent secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Early life and education Tamara Margaret Finkelstein was born on 24 May 1967 to the academic Ludwik Finkelstein and the Holocaust survivor and educator Mirjam Finkelstein. She has two brothers, Daniel Finkelstein, a journalist and a politician, and Anthony Finkelstein, a software engineer and civil servant. Her grandfather was Alfred Wiener.

She was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls before studying engineering science at Balliol College, Oxford, graduating in 1989, and economics at the London School of Economics, graduating in 1992. She was deputy director for Sure Start from 2001 to 2004 before holding a number of director roles.

After 22 years at the Treasury, she joined the Department of Health in 2014 as the Chief Operating Officer and a director-general. In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, she led the establishment of the building safety programme at the Department of Communities and Local Government.

In 2024, Finkelstein was one of four appointable candidates shortlisted by an expert panel to be Cabinet Secretary. Prime Minister Keir Starmer chose Chris Wormald for the position.

Honours Finkelstein was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2020 New Year Honours and promoted to a Dame Commander of the same Order (DCB) in the 2025 New Year Honours, both for public service.