Ursula Brennan

Dame Ursula Brennan (born 28 October 1952) is a retired British civil servant and a former Permanent Secretary at the United Kingdom's Ministry of Justice where she was also the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.

Since 1975, Brennan has worked for myriad government agencies, including the Department of Health, the Department of Social Security, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Defence, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

During her career, she has been an outspoken proponent of the need for gender equality.

For her public service, Brennan was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2013.

Early life and education Brennan was born in Sevenoaks, Kent, and was educated at Putney High School in London.

Following university, Brennan worked at the Inner London Education Authority from 1973 to 1975.

Brennan led the review to create a new structure for the Ministry of Justice, where she worked from April to September 2008 as director-general of Corporate Performance. Her area of responsibility encompassed leadership of the corporate functions in the Ministry, including finance, IT, human resources, strategy and planning, communications, and research and analysis.

During her time at the Ministry of Defence, Brennan made headlines when she stated in 2011 that the British military needed to do more to integrate women into the higher ranks, saying, "They need to get on with it, and promote some women... (Women) are not going to hit the nuclear trigger button by mistake."

She also oversaw the 2011 investigation into the conduct of then Minister of Defence Liam Fox, who had allowed his friend Adam Werritty to join him on foreign missions, attend official diplomatic meetings and, despite having no security clearance, visit him repeatedly at the Ministry office.

Return to Ministry of Justice On 12 June 2012, it was announced by Sir Bob Kerslake, Head of Civil Service, that Brennan would return to the Ministry of Justice as Permanent Secretary and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. She replaced Sir Suma Chakrabarti, who left to become president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

In an interview in July 2012, Brennan spoke again about the need for gender equity in the workplace, saying, "The representation of women at the top levels of the civil service has really changed, but I've worked in departments where even when we got to several women on the board, it just takes a couple of departures and it's gone. You really need a relentless focus as you can think you have won the battle and then you find it's too easy to slip back."

Other positions She also served on the Honours Committee, a Cabinet Office committee that nominates citizens for the monarch's Birthday and New Year's Honours.

Honours In 2011, Brennan earned an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law from her alma mater. In the 2013 New Year Honours, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath (DCB) "for public service."

Offices held