Summary
Sir Jonathan Michael Thompson, KCB is a British civil servant who served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) from September 2012 until April 2016, when he succeeded Dame Lin Homer as Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs. He became Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council after leaving HMRC in Autumn 2019.[1][2]
Jon Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Thompson in 2017 | |
| Permanent Secretary at HM Revenue and Customs | |
| In office April 2016 – October 2019 | |
| Minister | George Osborne Philip Hammond Sajid Javid |
| Preceded by | Dame Lin Homer |
| Succeeded by | Jim Harra |
| Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence | |
| In office July 2012 – April 2016 | |
| Minister | Philip Hammond Michael Fallon |
| Preceded by | Dame Ursula Brennan |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Lovegrove |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 December 1964 Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Background edit
Thompson was born in Norwich,[3] and educated at Earlham High School, Norwich City College and Anglia Polytechnic, which later became Anglia Ruskin University. He became CIPFA qualified in 1989.[4]
Career edit
Thompson was in local government as Finance Director for North Somerset Council.[4]
Thompson joined the Civil Service in 2004, as OFSTED’s first finance director.[3] He moved to Department for Education and Skills as their Director-General for Corporate Services in 2006, leaving the then Department for Children, Schools and Families to join the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as Director General of Finance in 2009.[4] Thompson became Permanent Secretary of the MOD in 2012 succeeding Ursula Brennan who moved to the Ministry of Justice. In 2015, he was paid a salary of between £165,000 and £169,999 by the MOD, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[5] He then became Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary of HM Revenue and Customs. Thompson is currently the Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council.[1] Thompson is also a non-executive director on the board of HS2 Ltd.[6] In February 2023 he became chair of HS2 Ltd until, upon the resignation of CEO Mark Thurston in September 2023, Thompson took over the running of the company as executive chairman for an interim period.[7][8][9]
Thompson was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2019 New Year Honours, "for public service."[10]
Personal life edit
Thompson married his wife Dawn in 1987 and has three sons and one grandson and one granddaughter.[4] He is a supporter of Norwich City Football Club,[3] and lives in Cambridgeshire.[3]
Offices held edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Jon Thompson - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "New Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer appointed to lead HM Revenue & Customs - Press releases - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d Bowie, Jess (20 March 2015). "Defensive measures: CSW interviews Ministry of Defence permanent secretary Jon Thompson". Civil Service World magazine. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d "THOMPSON, Jonathan Michael". Who’s Who. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ^ "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ^ "Sir Jonathan Thompson appointed to the HS2 Ltd Board". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Nilson, Peter (10 February 2023). "Sir Jonathan Thompson named HS2 Ltd Chair". Railway Technology. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "HS2's CEO to step down after six and a half years". High Speed 2. 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "Are HS2 bosses really 'kids with the golden credit card'?". The Guardian. 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
The search for his replacement continues under Sir Jon Thompson, who will in effect run the company as executive chair in the interim.
- ^ "No. 62507". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2018. p. N3.