Mark Lowcock

Mark Lowcock CB (born 25 July 1962) is a British civil servant. Since June 2011, he has served as the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development (DFID).

Early life

Lowcock attended Culford School in Suffolk before attending Oxford University, where he graduated with a degree in Economics and History. He was later awarded a Master’s degree in Economics from Birkbeck College, University of London, before moving to Boston to study economics and business as a graduate fellow.[1] He is a qualified accountant and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.[2]

Career

Lowcock joined DFID (formerly the Overseas Development Administration) in 1985, where he has occupied a diverse range of roles, including: • Private Secretary to Baroness Chalker, Minister for Overseas Development from 1992 to 1994 • Deputy Head and Head of the DFID Regional Office for Central Africa from 1994 to 1997 • Head of European Union Department from 1997 to 1999, before returning to Africa as Head of the DFID Regional Office for East Africa • Director, Finance and Corporate Performance, from 2001 to 2003 and Director General, Corporate Performance and Knowledge Sharing from 2003 to 2006 • Director General, Policy and International from 2006 to 2008 and Director General, Country Programmes from 2008 to 2011[3]

Lowcock was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development on 9 June 2011.[4] He has made speeches on development, in Delhi (on the future of international development), Karachi (on how to get economic growth in a changing world), Berlin (on development agencies and conflict) and Addis Ababa (on economic development in Ethiopia).[5]

Lowcock oversaw the Department during the period in which the UK increased its aid budget to 0.7% of Gross Domestic Product.[6] World leaders first pledged to meet the 0.7% target 35 years ago in a 1970 General Assembly Resolution.[7]

Personal life

Lowcock is married and has three children.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Chambers, Joshua (2 November 2011). Interview: Mark Lowcock. Civil Service World. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Read, Dave (18 December 2012). Mark Lowcock: The Man with a Plan Public Finance International. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Government biography. Permanent Secretary, Mark Lowcock, Biography. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Government press release (9 June 2011). New top civil servant for DFID 28 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Government speech transcript (16 October 2012). The Future of International Development Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Dudman, Jane (14 March 2013). 'On your bike: partnership and engagement at DfID – interview' The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  7. ↑ UN Millennium Project. ‘The 0.7% target: An in-depth look’ Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  8. ↑ 'Real Life Stories: Mark Lowcock’ Malaria No More. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
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