Scotland's Permanent Secretary on leadership

Leslie Evans, the first woman to hold the post of Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, shares her thoughts about leadership and the qualities that, in her opinion, make for strong leadership especially in the context of the Scottish Government’s vision for public service reform.

As head of the civil service in Scotland, a role she took up in July 2015, Leslie is the principal policy adviser to the First Minister and secretary to the Scottish cabinet and describes herself as an eternal optimist.