Hannah White appointed as director of the Institute for Government

The Institute for Government is delighted to announce that its new director will be Dr Hannah White OBE.

Hannah joined the Institute – the UK’s leading think tank working to make government more effective – in 2014, becoming its deputy director in 2018. She has been acting director since August.

Hannah previously ran the Committee on Standards in Public Life in the Cabinet Office and before that spent 10 years as a House of Commons clerk.

In 2020 she was awarded an OBE for services to the constitution and in April 2022 she published her first book Held in Contempt: what’s wrong with the House of Commons? She is a trustee of the public engagement charity Involve.

Hannah succeeds former director Bronwen Maddox.

Hannah White said:

“I am honoured and delighted to become the Institute for Government’s next director.

In just over a decade the IfG has built an unrivalled reputation for rigorous, independent research and expert analysis, repeatedly proving the importance of its mission to make government more effective. In these challenging times our mission is more essential than ever and I look forward to leading our fantastic team in making government work better for everyone.” 

David Sainsbury, Chair of the Board of Governors, said:

“I look forward to working with Hannah as the new director of the Institute. She has been a fantastic deputy director, and has made an important contribution to the work of the Institute. In her time as acting director she has shown that she is more than capable of being the next director.”

Notes for editors

1. The Institute for Government is an independent think tank that works to make government more effective.
2. For more information, please contact press@instituteforgovernment.org.uk / 0785 031 3791.