Chair – Jonathan Rees

Jonathan is the Director-General and Accounting Officer of the Government Equalities Office, taking up this new post in February 2008.  The GEO, an independent Department, was set up to put equality at the heart of Government, and is responsible for equality legislation, the Government’s targets (Public Service Agreement) on equality across public and private sectors and delivering on the Ministers for Women’s priorities, as well as sponsoring the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Women’s National Commission.

Prior to joining GEO, Jonathan was Deputy Chief Executive (Policy) at the Health and Safety Executive following a varied career in the civil service with several jobs in DTI, most recently as Director of Consumer and Competition Policy, three years in the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit working for John Major and Tony Blair, three years in the Cabinet Office and two spells in Brussels, with the European Commission and UK Representation.