Carla became the head of strategy in the Child Poverty Unit in May last year, which is a joint unit sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, and HM Treasury. This followed stints in strategy, policy and social research in the Pensions team at DWP. Prior to joining the civil service in 2006, she worked as a research and strategy consultant for Weber Shandwick, a large Public Relations firm. She holds a PhD in social psychology from Northwestern University in Illinois, and a BA in Psychology from Cambridge University.