Biography: Richard Calvert

Richard rejoined DFID in August 2009 after two and a half years at the Food Standards Agency, where he held the post of Director of Strategy and Resources.  Richard's last role in DFID, before moving to the FSA, was as Director of Finance and Corporate Performance.  Previous to this, he had moved from being responsible for DFID's information and communications work, and its relations with the voluntary sector, to Hertfordshire County Council, where he was Head of Service Quality in the Children, Schools and Families Directorate.

Richard's earlier career was spent in the Overseas Development Administration, in a series of roles in finance and country programme managment.  Richard moved to Brussels in 1991 to spend four years in the UK's Permanent Representation to the EU, where he was responsible for EU relations with developing countries.  Returning to the UK, Richard spent two and a half years as Private Secretary first to Lynda Chalker, and then to Clare Short MP, the Secretary of State for International Development.

Richard is a qualified Management Accountant, and has held a number of non-executive roles within the public sector.  He is currently an independent adviser to the National Assembly Commission in Wales.