Dame Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, recently visited HMP Brixton specifically to be interviewed for National Prison Radio (NPR). During her appearance, she shared three tracks that reflect her life and career journey, offering listeners a personal glimpse into her story.
In her role at the Ministry of Justice, Antonia oversees key areas including criminal justice, prisons, probation services, civil, family, and criminal courts, legal services, and constitutional policy.
With a career in the Civil Service that began in 2000 as a professional economist, she has since held numerous senior positions across His Majesty’s Government.
As part of her current responsibilities, Antonia serves on the Civil Service Board and Senior Leadership Committee, is the Civil Service Gender Champion, and is also President of the Whitehall Choir.
Despite her demanding schedule, Antonia made time to visit our studio at HMP Brixton. There, one of National Prison Radio’s presenters had the privilege of interviewing her, delving into the highlights of her remarkable career.
During the interview, Antonia selected three tracks that resonate with different moments in her journey: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, Shine by Take That, and Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits – an eclectic mix that offers a peek into her diverse tastes.
Antonia expressed her gratitude to our CEO, Phil Maguire OBE, and Anna Owen, (Head of Radio and Music in Prisons at HMPPS – on secondment from the BBC) for facilitating the visit, and gave special thanks to NPR presenter ‘C’, whom she described as “a brilliant host for our conversation.”
The interview with the Permanent Secretary will be broadcast on National Prison Radio as part of a special episode of NPR Talk.
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National Prison Radio is the world’s first national radio station for people in prison. It’s available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on in-cell TV.
NPR Talk is our talk show helping listeners find their future. The show focuses on issues in prison and features news, interviews and banter. NPR Talk broadcasts every Wednesday at 12:00 and 18:00 on National Prison Radio and reaches over 80,000 people behind bars across England and Wales.
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