Tamara Finkelstein is the Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering. She joined the Academy after a long career in the Civil Service. Tamara studied engineering and economics before starting her career as an economist in HM Treasury where she worked for over 20 years in a range of economist and policy roles including as Private Secretary and Speechwriter to Chancellor Gordon Brown, and senior roles in public services, public spending and debt management.

Her wider career in five other government departments included leadership roles in Sure Start, Adult Social Care, Borders and the Building Safety Programme in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. Before joining the Academy in 2026 she spent six years as the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs having previously led the department’s work on EU Exit Delivery and subsequently leading the organisation through the food security challenges of Covid.

As Head of the Government Policy Profession she worked closely with Kings College London on civil service professional development. Tamara is a trustee of a number of community and social care charities.