A former prime minister once said Rob Heferen would not be considered for a secretary role, for reasons he still doesn't know today.

Now leading a 20,000-person agency as the Australian Taxation Office boss, Mr Heferen said while his ambitions of one day leading a department were quashed, he believed things turned out for the better.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Institute of Public Administration Australia, the Commissioner of Taxation said he had believed he could make a positive difference as a secretary.

"I was told by the former head of Prime Minister and Cabinet that a former prime minister decided that I wasn't going to be eligible for any secretary role," he said.

"It was one of those things where I've always thought of myself as a career public servant. It's what I love,

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