{{Short description|British civil servant (born 1964)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Sir | honorific_suffix = KCB | name = Jon Thompson | image = Jon Thompson (38540488346) (cropped).jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Thompson in 2017 | office = Permanent Secretary<br />at HM Revenue and Customs | minister = George Osborne <br /> Philip Hammond <br /> Sajid Javid | predecessor = Dame Lin Homer | successor = Jim Harra | term_start = April 2016 | term_end = October 2019 | office2 = Permanent Secretary<br />at the Ministry of Defence | minister2 = Philip Hammond <br /> Michael Fallon | predecessor2 = Dame Ursula Brennan | successor2 = Stephen Lovegrove | term_start2 = July 2012 | term_end2 = April 2016 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|12|29|df=y}} | birth_place = Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK | occupation = Civil servant }} '''Sir Jonathan Michael Thompson''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|size=100%|KCB}} (born 29 December 1964) is a British civil servant who served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) from September 2012 until April 2016, when he succeeded Dame Lin Homer as Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs. He became Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council after leaving HMRC in Autumn 2019.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/jon-thompson--3|title=Jon Thompson - GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=2016-03-06|archive-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307214849/https://www.gov.uk/government/people/jon-thompson--3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-executive-chair-and-chief-executive-officer-appointed-to-lead-hm-revenue-customs|title=New Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer appointed to lead HM Revenue & Customs - Press releases - GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=2016-03-06|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803100601/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-executive-chair-and-chief-executive-officer-appointed-to-lead-hm-revenue-customs|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Background == Thompson was born in Norwich,<ref name="CSW Interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.civilserviceworld.com/articles/interview/defensive-measures-csw-interviews-ministry-defence-permanent-secretary-jon|title=Defensive measures: CSW interviews Ministry of Defence permanent secretary Jon Thompson|last=Bowie|first=Jess|date=20 March 2015|publisher=Civil Service World magazine|accessdate=26 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151344/http://www.civilserviceworld.com/articles/interview/defensive-measures-csw-interviews-ministry-defence-permanent-secretary-jon|url-status=live}}</ref> and educated at Earlham High School, Norwich City College and Anglia Polytechnic, which later became Anglia Ruskin University. He became CIPFA qualified in 1989.<ref name="Whoswho"/>
== Career == Thompson was in local government as Finance Director for North Somerset Council.<ref name="Whoswho">{{cite web|url = http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U245650/THOMPSON_Jonathan_Michael?index=1&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0|title = THOMPSON, Jonathan Michael|publisher = Who’s Who|accessdate = 26 March 2015|archive-date = 21 October 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231021234008/https://www.ukwhoswho.com/display/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-245650?index=1&query=0&results=QuicksearchResults|url-status = live}}</ref>
Thompson joined the Civil Service in 2004, as OFSTED’s first finance director.<ref name="CSW Interview" /> He moved to Department for Education and Skills as their Director-General for Corporate Services in 2006, leaving the then Department for Children, Schools and Families to join the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as Director General of Finance in 2009.<ref name="Whoswho" /> Thompson became Permanent Secretary of the MOD in 2012 succeeding Ursula Brennan who moved to the Ministry of Justice. In 2015, he was paid a salary of between £165,000 and £169,999 by the MOD, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview|title=Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK|date=2015-12-17|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=2016-03-13|archive-date=4 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504113001/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview|url-status=live}}</ref> He then became Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary of HM Revenue and Customs. Thompson is currently the Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council.<ref name=":0" /> Thompson is also a non-executive director on the board of HS2 Ltd.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sir Jonathan Thompson appointed to the HS2 Ltd Board|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sir-jonathan-thompson-appointed-to-the-hs2-ltd-board|access-date=2021-04-22|website=GOV.UK|language=en|archive-date=18 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418045653/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sir-jonathan-thompson-appointed-to-the-hs2-ltd-board|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2023 he became chair of HS2 Ltd until, upon the resignation of CEO Mark Thurston in September 2023, Thompson took over the running of the company as executive chairman for an interim period.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nilson |first1=Peter |title=Sir Jonathan Thompson named HS2 Ltd Chair |url=https://www.railway-technology.com/news/sir-jonathan-thompson-named-hs2-ltd-chair/ |access-date=19 October 2023 |work=Railway Technology |date=10 February 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326133711/https://www.railway-technology.com/news/sir-jonathan-thompson-named-hs2-ltd-chair/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=HS2's CEO to step down after six and a half years |url=https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2s-ceo-to-step-down-after-six-and-a-half-years |website=High Speed 2 |date=12 July 2023 |access-date=21 October 2023 |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720022854/https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2s-ceo-to-step-down-after-six-and-a-half-years |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Are HS2 bosses really 'kids with the golden credit card'? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/26/are-hs2-bosses-really-kids-with-the-golden-credit-card |work=The Guardian |date=26 September 2023 |quote=The search for his replacement continues under Sir Jon Thompson, who will in effect run the company as executive chair in the interim. |access-date=21 October 2023 |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928140934/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/26/are-hs2-bosses-really-kids-with-the-golden-credit-card |url-status=live }}</ref>
Thompson was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2019 New Year Honours, "for public service."<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=62507 |date=29 December 2018 |page=N3 |supp=y }}</ref>
== Personal life == Thompson married his wife Dawn in 1987 and has three sons and one grandson and one granddaughter.<ref name="Whoswho"/> He is a supporter of Norwich City Football Club,<ref name="CSW Interview"/> and lives in Cambridgeshire.<ref name="CSW Interview"/>
== Offices held == {{s-start}} {{s-gov}} {{succession box | title = Permanent Secretary of the<br />Ministry of Defence | years = 2012–2016 | before = Dame Ursula Brennan | after = Stephen Lovegrove }} {{succession box | title = Chief Executive<br />of HM Revenue and Customs | years = 2016–2019 | before = Dame Lin Homer | after = Jim Harra }}
{{S-bus}} {{S-bef|before= Mark Thurston }} {{S-ttl|title= Executive Chairman (Interim) of High Speed 2|years= October 2023 - }} {{S-aft|after= Incumbent }} {{S-end}}
== References == <references />
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Jonathan}} Category:Local government officers in England Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Anglia Ruskin University Category:Permanent under-secretaries of state for defence Category:People from Norwich Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Category:People educated at City College Norwich Category:Chief executives of HM Revenue and Customs