Justine Greening

Biography

Justine Greening is a former UK Cabinet Minister who led three major departments: Education, International Development, and Transport. She also served as Treasury Minister and Minister for Women and Equalities. She speaks on social mobility, economics, and politics.

Before politics, Justine built a successful career in finance and industry. She studied Business Economics and Accounting, then worked at PwC, GSK, and Centrica. She later earned an MBA from London Business School.

She began her Ministerial career as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, playing a key role in delivering the 2010 emergency budget during a challenging economic period. She then moved to the Department for Transport, where she delivered the transport strategy that supported the London 2012 Olympics with then Mayor Boris Johnson.

Next, she joined the Department for International Development. She led the UK’s response to the Ebola outbreak and the Syrian refugee crisis, helped shape the Sustainable Development Goals, represented the UK on the World Bank Board, and chaired the UN Security Council. The UN appointed her to the High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.

Education was always her passion. As Secretary of State for Education, she became the first comprehensive-educated leader of the department. She focused on skills, social mobility, and opportunity, and launched the first Social Mobility Action Plan.

After leaving Cabinet, Justine launched the Social Mobility Pledge. Since leaving Parliament, she has campaigned for social mobility and purpose-led business. She founded the Purpose Coalition, working with businesses, universities, and local authorities to drive improvements in opportunity and measure real impact.

Today, Justine is a respected commentator and keynote speaker on leadership and equality of opportunity. She shows how purpose can shape stronger organisations and fairer economies. She also speaks on geopolitics and geoeconomics and appears regularly across major media, including Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Any Questions, Question Time, and BBC Context.