Leicestershire-born civil servant Jonathan Mills has received one of the highest awards in The Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Mr Mills, has been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath, which is second only to a Damehood or Knighthood in the Order.
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was established by King George I in 1725 although it is believed to originally date back as far as the eighth century when bathing was used as a symbol for purification.
It is awarded to members of the military or civil service for exemplary service. Jonathan’s honour was awarded for his contribution to labour market policy and strategy.
Mr Mills is Director-General for Energy Supply in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Until recently he was Director-General for Labour Market Policy and Implementation at the Department of Work and Pensions, where he was responsible for a wide range of programmes to help people into work.
During the COVID pandemic he led initiatives that provided support to young people in particular who would otherwise have struggled to find jobs. The Kickstart programme, for example, has provided employment for more than 150,000 people since 2019.
He has worked in the Civil Service for more than twenty years, including more than ten years at HM Treasury and senior leadership roles at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and at the Cabinet Office. He has also worked in local government and presently sits on De Montfort University’s Board of Governors.
“As a civil servant and a public servant we get things done through working with others. I’ve been fortunate to be part of a great team, all across the country, working together to help people find work during the last few years”, he said of the honour.
“I’m really pleased that that effort has been recognised,” he added. “It was lovely to be able to phone my parents to break the news the night before the announcement. I think my mum’s initial reaction was relief that the reason I was phoning her at ten-thirty at night was to give her good news, not some emergency!”
