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Ravi Chand

Ravi Chand

SETTLING into a new job is always challenging – so imagine how civil servant Ravi Chand felt when he joined his new Cabinet Office role during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Before that Chand worked as the chief people officer at the Department for International Development (DFID), holding responsibility for people, operations, IT and systems, estates and change.


Now he works at the Cabinet Office as the programme director place for growth and beyond. He is part of a relatively new team which seeks to relocate civil service roles out of London to the other regions of the UK.

As well as familiarising himself with his new responsibilities and team, Chand had to also adapt to the ongoing coronavirus situation.

Used to a hectic schedule, he typically spent much of his time travelling to and from meetings in the capital.

The aim is to relocate thousands of jobs by 2030, a goal which will surely be achieved with Chand – who boasts an impressive professional career in government – at the helm.

Chand first began working for the government in 2006, when he joined the Home Office as the Head of Equality and Diversity Directorate. In 2012, he switched to a position as the Head of Capability, Talent and Diversity in the ministerial department.

Following his Home Office role, Chand was appointed the HR director at HM Revenue and Customs with responsibility for workforce management of its 69,000 staff. He became known for transforming the paper-based system into the digitally savvy customer-centric organisation it is today.

Prior to becoming a civil servant, he worked within the police services. Having experienced “all walks of life and some pretty hair-raising situations,” the former bobby spent more than 14 years with the Bedfordshire police.

Reflecting on his years of service, Chand says he “learnt a lot about (himself) and a lot about society”. “I saw a lot that goes on in the world that many people don’t get the experience to see, so it was a great insight into society as a whole,” he explains. “You end up learning so much and developing so many skills, and that was transformative for me.”

“A lot of the strength I hold today is a consequence of what I built in my time in policing.” Always an ardent supporter of inclusion, he assisted the chief constable and his board on delivering an equality plan to improve diversity within the workforce.

After he left the service, his first full HR job was with the Home Office where he carried out work on gender, race and LGBT equality. Inclusion and diversity has always been a major passion for Chand, in every professional role he has held. In 2011, Chand was awarded a CBE for his dedicated work on the issue.

Asked why he felt such a need to support it, he says: “It’s just part of who I am.”

“For me, it’s always been about equality, fairness in the workplace, opportunities for all and dealing with historic disadvantages that exist within society,” he explains. “It naturally was something I felt comfortable talking about engaging and leading on.”

Besides his professional achievements, Chand is also a father to three children – Jack, Ava Maria and Rio. His eldest son is currently studying media and film production at university – a move which Chand is “immensely proud” of.

“He’s gone down that path because that’s what he wants to do – he hasn’t followed a traditional career,” Chand enthuses.

“He’s following his life’s ambition and I think that is amazing.”

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