In conversation with Suzanne Heywood

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Following the publication of What Does Jeremy Think?: Jeremy Heywood and the Making of Modern Britain, Lady Suzanne Heywood joins IfG director Bronwen Maddox for a fascinating discussion about the life and career of the former Cabinet Secretary.

Suzanne Heywood discusses her late husband’s experiences at the heart of government alongside four prime ministers, his views on the civil service, and how he navigated the uncharted territory of the Brexit referendum and its tumultuous fall-out. With the Greensill saga rocking British politics, she also discusses Jeremy Heywood’s thinking behind bringing Lex Greensill into government, and why he believed the private sector can play a vital role in improving the way government works.

Suzanne Heywood was married to Jeremy Heywood from 1997 until his death in 2018. She worked as a civil servant in the Treasury and for McKinsey and Company before joining Exor in 2016. The biography What does Jeremy Think?: Jeremy Heywood and the making of Modern Britain, began as a joint effort between Jeremy and Suzanne. It was published earlier this year.