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I did the milk round when I was studying psychology at university in Cardiff. And I’m very happy that we’ve now got that change.” What would Sir Humphrey have to say about that? Sarah Woodall, 38, a case director and ringmaster for HM Revenue & Customs: ‘I’ve had three children, work part-time and still feel valued’ “I was lucky when I graduated. I applied for 18 jobs, and this was the one I was successful with, which was great, as this was the most difficult by far.I did my fast-stream exams as a student and so I joined the civil service straight after finals I only had a fortnight off I’ve been working for the civil service since. With Britain heading the G8, Ahmed was in a position to make a difference.”It was a unique opportunity to carry through that change,” he says.

“I wanted to be a part of that process, part of the impetus for change. Ahmed and colleagues at the World Bank believed that only 100 per cent debt cancellation would allow some countries to pay for schools and hospitals; what they lacked was a political coalition. Policy is where the decisions are made that operational management and corporate services carry out. A practical interest in helping the world’s poorest led him to Washington, to work for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) until two years ago, when he joined DfID. “They know what needs to be done but you need a political consensus to get it done.” A recent example where he has been able to make that difference has been on debt relief. Traditionally the mainstay of the civil service, it gives you the chance to have a massive impact on how the country, and even the world, is run.”The World Bank and the IMF are very good at technical solutions,” he says. “I figured that, as an economist, I could understand how practically we could live together in better conditions,” he says.

Ahmed is now director general, helping to formulate policy in multilateral agencies like the UN and giving advice to ministers on policy questions. “You’re involved in things people really care about.”Masood Ahmed, 52, wanted to get more involved in something he cared about, which brought him to the Department for International Development (DfID). Growing up in Pakistan, Ahmed saw living conditions that appalled him. As an economics student at the London School of Economics, his interest was in alleviating the lot of the poorest in the world. You need that hands-on, can-do attitude.” And there is plenty to get your hands on. Luchford has worked at Number 10 and in the Home Office – in prisons, immigration, the police and criminal justice system “There’s an immense variety,” she says. The Home Office needs people who can manage operating skills as well as policy.