Assembly Speaker, 25 April
Ceri Smith, Director General of Strategy and Investment in the Department of International Trade
This week we were joined by Ceri Smith, the Director General of Strategy and Investment in the Department of International Trade and one of the governors of our own school. He recounted his experiences working as a civil servant for the last 25 years and some of the lessons he’s learnt from working in such a varied and important sector.
He explained that the first job he had as a civil servant was within the Treasury as he was in his early twenties, having graduated from Cambridge University. Initially, he only planned to stay here for a short while but soon discovered how influential and interesting this area of government was, as he really came to understand the importance of financial power within the state. He told a story about his experience working here after the events of 9/11 and how he learnt that even in situations when the government struggles to know what to do, giving a public gesture to show control of the situation and the devising of a plan is important to comfort the public.
When asked what parts of his career he was proudest of, he replied that there are two things. The first was setting up the British Business Bank in 2013. This bank has given out £75 billion within the course of the pandemic to support businesses and thereby the economy. He stated that this was a very important part of his career from which he learnt a lot.
The second was witnessing the development of his team, particularly when the coalition between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives formed in 2010. Suddenly, his team was working under a conservative government, having previously been under the Labour Party and Gordon Brown. He took great pride in their professionalism, continuing to serve those who had been elected despite this key shift in political vision.
Similarly, he expressed his interesting perspective on democracy and working within the government, having been asked by a student about how he felt working under governments with whom he personally disagreed in terms of political views and having to follow their policy strategy. He explained that he strongly believes in democracy, and therefore following the will and the decisions of those elected by the people. In these situations, then, he performs his job in a detached, professional manner because what is most important about the Civil Service is that it provides ordinary people with what they need to live their most comfortable lives, regardless of political stance.
It was an extremely interesting and illuminating talk, dispelling the most common negative perception of civil servants, that Ceri himself identified as ‘shirkers’. What he described, which was very far from that, was an eclectic, interesting and very rewarding profession.
Zsa Zsa
Sixth Form Senior Prefect Y12
