Rachel Cooper and Beth Chaudhary, Directors of Strategy

Rachel Cooper and Beth Chaudhary joined the FSA in March 2025. 

Rachel and Beth have worked as a job-share for a number of years, having previously worked together earlier in their careers. For the last four years they were Director of Strategy at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education where they oversaw the co-creation of apprenticeships and technical qualifications with employers and learners from across the economy, with a focus on improving skills, improving inclusion and driving innovation. 

Previously, Beth and Rachel were the Strategy Director at the Cabinet Office, supporting Ministers and the Permanent Secretary to deliver their priorities, and prior to that they were Principal Private Secretary to John Manzoni, the Chief Executive of the Civil Service. They first worked together on energy and climate change policy, helping to set Government's ambition for a smart electricity network and a low carbon future and delivering energy efficiency and price support measures for households in fuel poverty. Each of their roles has involved working closely with regulators in different sectors and required a detailed understanding of the underlying legislative frameworks.

Rachel originally entered the civil service on the science and engineering career pathway, having done a Geology PhD, and worked on the options to prepare the electricity sector for Carbon Capture and Storage, including through reform of planning policy, before moving on to work on household energy efficiency strategy.

Beth's earlier career included working on renewable heat, negotiating the UK contribution to the EU Climate and Energy package in the European Secretariat and a stint in the French Government. She started her civil service career in Defra, in animal health and welfare.