Sarah Munby

Sarah’s career spans both the private and public sectors. Most recently, she served as Permanent Secretary of the newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). In this role she oversaw the establishment of the new organisation and held overall responsibility for government policy and delivery related to science and technology. Her portfolio covered the national approach to AI; the UK’s science and research system; digital transformation across government; and the government’s relationship with technology-driven sectors of the economy, including life sciences, AI and digital, quantum, telecoms and space.

Before this, Sarah was Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with wide-ranging responsibilities across the economy. Examples include leading support for businesses during the CO pandemic; managing the energy crisis in the UK following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; establishing the UK’s first national net zero strategy; and driving work to support business growth and innovation nationwide. She established BEIS’s second headquarters in Manchester/Salford, which she later mirrored at DSIT.

Prior to joining the civil service, Sarah was a partner at McKinsey and Company, latterly leading the firm’s Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice in the UK and Ireland. She worked on strategic change and transformation with some of the most significant businesses in the UK and globally.

Sarah has previously been a Board Member at UK Government Investments, the government’s centre of expertise in corporate governance and corporate finance.