When people ask me how I ended up leading the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) new Fraud Lab, I often tell them that my career has come full circle.
I first joined the Civil Service in 1988 and have worked across several government departments throughout my career. I even worked for the then Driving Standards Agency (DSA) between 1996 and 2007, before later returning to what is now DVSA in my current role.
Looking back, I could never have predicted the path my career would take. From customer-facing roles and casework to intelligence development, criminal investigations and counter-fraud leadership, each experience has provided new opportunities to learn, develop and make a difference.
Finding my passion in intelligence and investigations
The turning point in my career came when I joined HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Risk and Intelligence Service.
At the time, my role involved developing intelligence packages relating to affluent individuals, businesses and offshore interests. I quickly became fascinated by the process of gathering information from different sources and bringing it together to build a bigger picture.
For me, it was all about curiosity.
I enjoyed identifying patterns, exploring relationships between information and understanding what the evidence was telling me. Every intelligence package felt like a jigsaw puzzle, with each piece helping to reveal a more complete picture.
The more I learned, the more interested I became in understanding how intelligence supports investigations and how evidence can be used to identify fraud and protect public funds.
That curiosity ultimately led me into HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, where I became an Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist and spent more than seven years working on criminal investigations involving serious fraud and organised crime. During that time, I gained experience in a wide range of investigative activities. These included intelligence development, interviews under caution, evidence gathering, operational deployments, disclosure and criminal justice procedures.
The work was challenging, varied and rewarding. No two investigations were ever the same, and every case provided an opportunity to learn something new.
Why I chose a new challenge
After many years working within criminal investigations, I reached a point where I wanted a different challenge.
The role demanded a significant personal commitment and, while I valued the opportunities it gave me, I was also looking for a better work-life balance and a fresh opportunity to develop myself professionally.
More importantly, I wanted the chance to build something.
Throughout much of my career, I had joined teams with established ways of working. What appealed to me about DVSA was the opportunity to help create something new and shape its future direction.
That opportunity arrived in the form of the Fraud Lab.
Building the DVSA Fraud Lab
Without doubt, the project I am most excited about is helping to establish DVSA’s Fraud Lab.
While achieving my Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist qualification remains one of my proudest personal achievements, the opportunity to build a new capability from the ground up is something completely different.
DVSA is developing the Fraud Lab to strengthen its digital investigation capability and provide specialist support to investigators and intelligence teams. For me, this is an exciting opportunity to combine my experience in intelligence, investigations and counter-fraud with my passion for developing people and building capability.
What excites me most is the chance to recruit talented people, create a strong team culture and help develop new approaches that support fraud investigations across the organisation.
The digital landscape continues to evolve rapidly and the way organisations investigate fraud is evolving with it. Areas such as open-source intelligence, digital research and the lawful acquisition and use of digital information are becoming increasingly important. Being able to help shape how those capabilities develop within DVSA is both exciting and rewarding.
My ambition is for the Fraud Lab to become a trusted source of expertise that supports our investigators and intelligence analysts while helping build capability across the wider organisation.
Success will not simply be about what the team achieves itself. It will be about the difference we help others make in their own roles.
Why developing people matters to me
One of the most rewarding aspects of my previous career was coaching and mentoring others.
I had the opportunity to support trainee investigators and apprentices as they developed their skills, knowledge and confidence. Seeing colleagues grow and succeed was every bit as rewarding as achieving operational outcomes.
That is something I want to continue within DVSA.
As the Fraud Lab develops, I want it to be a place where people are encouraged to learn, share knowledge, challenge ideas and develop professionally. I firmly believe that the best teams are built through collaboration, trust and a willingness to learn from one another.
While I will bring my own experience to the team, I am equally excited about learning from the people who choose to join us. Every individual brings different experiences and perspectives, and that diversity of thought is what helps teams thrive.
Why I’ve stayed in the Civil Service
People sometimes ask me why I have spent so much of my career in the Civil Service.
The honest answer is simple.
It feels like where I belong.
Although I spent a short period working outside government, I eventually found my way back because public service has always been an important part of my identity.
Over the years I have worked across different organisations, roles and professions, but the common thread has always been a desire to contribute to something bigger than myself.
The Civil Service has provided me with a sense of purpose, community and shared values throughout my career. The work we do matters, whether that is serving the public directly, supporting colleagues or helping protect public services from fraud and abuse.
For me, it has never been solely about a job title, salary or pension. It is about being part of an organisation that shares my values and allows me to contribute in a meaningful way.
Looking Ahead
Having started my Civil Service journey in 1988 and returned to DVSA many years later, I feel incredibly fortunate to be entering this next chapter of my career.
The opportunity to build a new capability, recruit talented people and help shape the future of digital investigations within DVSA is one I am genuinely excited about.
I have always enjoyed joining the dots, solving problems and helping others develop. The Fraud Lab gives me the opportunity to bring all those things together.
And for me, that’s what makes this role so exciting.
The Fraud Lab is still at the beginning of its journey, which makes this an exciting time to join. We are building something new from the ground up, and I am looking forward to welcoming new colleagues, learning from their experiences and working together to create something that will have a lasting impact.
We are currently recruiting a Fraud Lab Digital Specialist.
Find out more about the role and apply now at Civil Service Jobs.