Lord Gus O’Donnell

Former UK Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service

Gus O’Donnell was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the British Civil Service from 2005 to 2011 and in 2010, he oversaw the introduction of the UK’s first coalition Government since the Second World War.

He oversaw the introduction by the Office of National Statistics of the UK’s national wellbeing data. After retiring as Cabinet Secretary he has worked intensively on wellbeing issues, helping to establish the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and writing on how to use wellbeing as a guide to policy.

This includes Chapter 6 of the World Happiness Report 2013, chairing the Report on Wellbeing and Policy produced by Sir Angus Deaton, Lord Layard, Martine Durand and David Halpern (commissioned by the Legatum Institute).

Most recently, as co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing, he has overseen a report on what a Spending Review based on wellbeing would look like.