Tasked with bolstering the Danish Ministry of State, Bertelsen played a crucial role in its expansion, aimed at enhancing its operational efficiency and political power.

Despite facing a warning in connection with the 2020 Danish mink cull for hastening processes leading to legal infractions, Bertelsen's disciplinary sanction was later rescinded.

Bertelsen descends paternally from the Danish landowning family Dornonville de la Cour [da], which immigrated from France as Huguenots.

[6] Barbara Bertelsen began her career as a civil servant immediately following her graduation from Aarhus University in 1998, initially serving as a head of section (Danish: Fuldmægtig) in the Police and Legal Office of the Ministry of Justice from 1998 to 2000.

Reportedly, Bertelsen also played a pivotal role in the government's intervention during the 2013 Danish teacher lockout [da], where she also worked with the then Minister of Employment, Mette Frederiksen.

Five months after her appointment, a change in government occurred as a result of the 2015 Danish general election, with Søren Pind assuming the position of Minister of Justice.

[15] Barbara Bertelsen's tenure as Permanent Secretary coincided with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's efforts to expand and refine the office's operations.

Specifically, her concern about asymptomatic transmission and subsequent criticism of health authorities' optimistic outlook highlighted her meticulous approach to crisis management.

As the outbreak progressed, Bertelsen increasingly scrutinized the Ministry of Health's communications, perceiving discrepancies between their reports and developments in affected regions such as Italy.

A commission of inquiry concluded, that Bertelsen took a leading role in the decision to cull all minks in Denmark, sidelining the Ministry of Environment and Food.

[19] Barbara Bertelsen maintains a private personal life and refrains from publicly commenting on matters and rarely grants interviews.

[12] She married journalist Theis Bober in August 2024 in Sønderho Church on the Wadden Sea island of Fanø, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen among the attendees.