Jon Thompson (civil servant) explained

Honorific Prefix:Sir
Honorific Suffix:KCB
Jon Thompson
Office:Permanent Secretary
at HM Revenue and Customs
Predecessor:Dame Lin Homer
Successor:Jim Harra
Term Start:April 2016
Term End:October 2019
Office2:Permanent Secretary
at the Ministry of Defence
Predecessor2:Dame Ursula Brennan
Successor2:Stephen Lovegrove
Term Start2:July 2012
Term End2:April 2016
Birth Date:29 December 1964
Birth Place:Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK
Nationality:British
Occupation:Civil servant

Sir Jonathan Michael Thompson, (born 29 December 1964) 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]

Background

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.

Career

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. 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. 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. 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."

Personal life

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]

References

  1. Web site: Jon Thompson - GOV.UK. www.gov.uk. 2016-03-06. 7 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307214849/https://www.gov.uk/government/people/jon-thompson--3. live.
  2. Web site: New Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer appointed to lead HM Revenue & Customs - Press releases - GOV.UK. www.gov.uk. 2016-03-06. 3 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200803100601/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-executive-chair-and-chief-executive-officer-appointed-to-lead-hm-revenue-customs. live.
  3. Web site: Defensive measures: CSW interviews Ministry of Defence permanent secretary Jon Thompson. Bowie. Jess. 20 March 2015. Civil Service World magazine. 26 March 2015. 2 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151344/http://www.civilserviceworld.com/articles/interview/defensive-measures-csw-interviews-ministry-defence-permanent-secretary-jon. live.
  4. Web site: THOMPSON, Jonathan Michael. Who’s Who. 26 March 2015. 21 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231021234008/https://www.ukwhoswho.com/display/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-245650?index=1&query=0&results=QuicksearchResults. live.
  5. Web site: Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK. 2015-12-17. www.gov.uk. 2016-03-13. 4 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190504113001/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview. live.
  6. Web site: Sir Jonathan Thompson appointed to the HS2 Ltd Board. 2021-04-22. GOV.UK. en. 18 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220418045653/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sir-jonathan-thompson-appointed-to-the-hs2-ltd-board. live.
  7. News: Nilson . Peter . Sir Jonathan Thompson named HS2 Ltd Chair . 19 October 2023 . Railway Technology . 10 February 2023 . 26 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326133711/https://www.railway-technology.com/news/sir-jonathan-thompson-named-hs2-ltd-chair/ . live .
  8. Web site: HS2’s CEO to step down after six and a half years . . 12 July 2023 . 21 October 2023 . 20 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230720022854/https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2s-ceo-to-step-down-after-six-and-a-half-years . live .
  9. News: Are HS2 bosses really ‘kids with the golden credit card’? . . 26 September 2023 . The search for his replacement continues under Sir Jon Thompson, who will in effect run the company as executive chair in the interim. . 21 October 2023 . 28 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230928140934/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/26/are-hs2-bosses-really-kids-with-the-golden-credit-card . live .