Jayne Brady

Jayne Brady is the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Chief Policy Adviser to the First and deputy First Ministers, and Secretary to the Executive.

Jayne took up the post in late 2021, following an extensive career in the private sector. She is the first woman and the first external appointment to the role in the Service’s history. Deeply committed to delivering economic and social change by harnessing innovation, Jayne has supported those political parties entitled to form an Executive to develop a new and transformative proposition for NI. An advocate for collaboration, Jayne mobilised input from across government and insights from the private sector to help shape the catalytic concept, with a view to its adoption by an incoming Executive. A core element of the proposal focuses on ‘Planet’; driving green growth, to deliver a sustainable and net zero future for the benefit of every person and every place.  

Prior to taking up the post of Head of the Civil Service, Jayne was Digital Innovation Commissioner for Belfast, a partner in a venture capital firm with £100M+ funds under management and co-founder of an artificial intelligence start-up. She was also a member of the UK Government’s Innovation Expert Group which developed its 2021 Innovation Strategy and was appointed an Entrepreneurial Expert for Oxford University in 2020. Jayne was recognised for services to the economy with an MBE (2018) and two honorary doctorates (2019 & 2022). She has a passion for supporting young people, serving as a counsellor for Childline and board member for Young Enterprise NI. Jayne has a strong, well-established professional network and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineers. She is mum to three teenagers.