Ashley Ibbett
Biography
Ashley Ibbett is Director General for Aviation, Maritime and Security at the Department for Transport.
Ashley was previously Director General for Energy Infrastructure at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) from November 2022 to March 2026. He was Director General for Trade, International, the Union and Analysis at BEIS from April 2020 to November 2022.
Prior to this he was Director of Clean Electricity at BEIS and before that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). He was responsible for government’s work to support low carbon electricity, including offshore wind and other renewable technologies as well as carbon capture and storage.
Ashley has been a civil servant for over two decades, having originally joined the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). He has worked in a wide range of roles covering trade, science and innovation, competition and energy, and has extensive European and international experience. He has also worked as a Private Secretary to the Cabinet Secretary; and was Principal Private Secretary at DECC between 2009 and 2012.
In addition, Ashley was Shareholder Non-Executive Director for DfT Operator Limited and its predecessor DfT OLR Holdings Limited from October 2023 to March 2026.
Director General Aviation, Maritime and Security Group
The main areas of responsibility are:
- aviation policy including airports, airspace, environment, consumers, international connectivity, future of flight, security and safety
- maritime policy including infrastructure, environment, trade, skills, security and safety
- aviation, maritime and borders analysis
- security and resilience of the transport network
- global leadership on international aviation and maritime, including through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), EUROCONTROL and the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- sponsorship of arm’s length bodies including the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Accident Investigation Branches
Previous roles in government
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Shareholder Representative Director, DfT Operator Limited
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Shareholder Representative Director, DfT OLR Holdings Limited
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Director General, Energy Infrastructure
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Director General, Energy Infrastructure, BEIS
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Director General, Trade, International, the Union and Analysis, BEIS
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Acting Director General for Trade, Europe and Analysis, BEIS