Moira Paul Wallace,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 15 August 1961) is a former

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

and academic administrator. She was Provost of

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

, from 2013 to 2018. Until October 2012 she was the first

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

of the

Department of Energy and Climate Change The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the government of the United Kingdom created on 3 October 2008, by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take over some of the ...

, having moved from her role as Director General of the Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group the

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

in November 2008.

Early life and education

Wallace was born on 15 August 1961. She studied modern languages at

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mo ...

, graduating in 1983, and studied comparative literature at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

as a

Kennedy Scholar Kennedy Scholarships provide full funding for up to ten British post-graduate students to study at either Harvard University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Susan Hockfield, the sixteenth president of MIT, described the scho ...

, completing her

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(AM) in 1985.

Career

Wallace was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Department of Energy and Climate Change ( DECC) on 13 November 2008. Before that Wallace had undertaken 10 years in HM Treasury, including three years as Private Secretary to Nigel Lawson and John Major when each was Chancellor of the Exchequer. She was Economic Affairs Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1995 to 1997. She established and led the Cabinet Office Social Exclusion Unit from 1997 to 2002, and joined the Home Office in 2002. From 2002 to 2005 she ran the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, a joint venture between the three criminal justice departments. From 2005 she was Home Office Director General for Crime and Policing. She was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours in August 1997. She announced her resignation from the DECC on 19 July 2012. It was rumoured that her departure was prompted by the conflicting views of various politicians in charge of the DECC, especially over subsidies for renewable energy, and promoting the continued use of gas (most controversially from

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

). She was given a 'golden goodbye' of almost £500,000, thought to be the most ever paid to a civil servant to quit early. On 25 February 2013 it was announced that Wallace would be the first female Provost of

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...

, Oxford University. She took up the post in September 2013. In January 2016 there was criticism that there had been a lack of proper leadership over the handling of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign demanding the removal of a statue of Cecil Rhodes. It was reported that donors might withhold some £100m in anger at the suggestion that the College might give in to the campaign, and the chair of the Commons Select Committee on Education said that she should consider her position, as the College had allowed the issue to spiral out of control. There have been calls from academics for her to resign. It was also reported that the College might have to make staff redundant as a result of the loss of donor income. She stepped down as Provost in August 2018, and was succeeded by Neil Mendoza. In 2014 she was elected an honorary fellow of

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

References

Offices held

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Moira Provosts of Oriel College, Oxford Civil servants in the Home Office Civil servants in the Cabinet Office Honorary Fellows of Trinity College Dublin Private secretaries in the British Civil Service Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Energy and Climate Change Women academic administrators 1961 births Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Harvard University alumni