Sir Hayden Phillips took delight in nurturing and encouraging younger, junior staff – a rare quality in any walk of life.
In establishing in 1992 the Department of National Heritage, where I worked for him setting up the national lottery, he created a flatter structure by removing a senior layer, so giving us all more responsibility. It was a thrilling and joyous place to work, attracting people from across Whitehall.
Without the freedom that Hayden gave, and the ambition that he stimulated, I and many others would not have had the careers we had. The civil service has never consistently shone at inspirational leadership, but Hayden truly loved his staff, supported and helped them. And we all loved him back.
