Jenny Bates
Heywood Fellow
Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
Jenny Bates is the fourth Heywood Fellow.
Her career has spanned more than two decades of economic policymaking in the British government (in FCDO, BEIS and HM Treasury), working across the intersection of international and domestic economic issues. Jenny is a professional economist and has led interdisciplinary analytical teams – as well as leading policy work on topics including trade and economic security, industrial strategy, climate and the energy transition and development finance. Jenny was Director General in the FCDO from 2020 to 2025, undertaking two roles focused on China and the Indo Pacific and then more recently on Economics, Climate and Global Issues. Prior to joining FCDO, Jenny led the Smith Commission Secretariat on the devolution of further powers to Scotland and held senior roles in what was then the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
She started her career at HM Treasury working on global economic issues and engaging with groupings like the Paris Club, OECD, G20 and G7. She then had a period focused more on domestic policy, leading a team with responsibility for UK budget delivery. Jenny has spent significant time in Washington DC, both through a posting to the British Embassy in Washington from 2005 to 2009 and, before joining government, working on trade policy issues at the Progressive Policy Institute from 1998 to 2001.