‘2020 has been the most testing time I’ve experienced as a leader’: Scottish Government perm sec Leslie Evans looks back at a ‘volatile’ and ‘complex’ year 2020 was a year unlike any other, with the coronavirus pandemic upending the work of government and changing how we live our daily lives. Senior figures from across the civil service tell us how the unprecedented 12 months affected them, and look ahead to 2021 What are you proudest of your department or agency achieving in 2020? The Scottish Government has led Scotland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic since it escalated in the early part of the year, requiring the organisation to reprioritise and pivot almost overnight. Our actions and advice – given at unprecedented pace – have supported ministers in leading the country through the virus’s evolving phases and complexities. In the meantime, other business didn’t stop. We had a tough budget to address, decisions to make on resourcing and major delivery programmes underway.