Chief Operating Officer
Mark Ashenden
Biography
Mark Ashenden is a senior leader within the Defra Group, with extensive experience spanning operational delivery, strategic governance, and policy development. His career began in operational processing before progressing into business transformation and strategic advisory roles.
He established and led Defra’s Innovation Centre, driving forward initiatives to embed innovation across the organisation. Mark later transitioned to devolved administration policy and financing, before joining the Rural Payments Agency to strengthen the link between policy and delivery.
Chief Operating Officer
The Chief Operating Officer oversees:
- strategic management
- regulatory compliance
- operational policy
- financial governance, including Managing Public Money
- transformation
They manage relationships with Defra Corporate Services to make sure there is alignment and accountability across the group.