DESNZ: business appointment rules advice, April to June 2025
Published 25 September 2025
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Michael Frank Botten
Title of former Civil Service role
Deputy Director - Energy Security and Response
Date left/retired from the Civil Service
15 August 2025
New employer
BAE Systems
New appointment/employment (including when taken up)
Head of Defensive Resilience – Air Sector (26 August 2025)
Department’s decision on application (including details of any waiting period or other conditions or restrictions applied)
On reviewing your application, the department has approved the above appointment subject to the conditions that,
- For the remainder of your time in Crown Service, you should not be involved in commercial discussions that could, in future, involve your prospective employer (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients).
- You do not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of yourself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to you from your time in Crown service.
- It is advised that you continue to review the Business Appointment Rules guidance before accepting any new appointment or employment for 2 years after leaving the Civil Service to ensure that there is no cause for justified public concern, criticism or misinterpretation.
Hebe Trotter
Title of former Civil Service role
Special Advisor
Date left/retired from the Civil Service
4 July 2024
New employer
Harbour Energy
New appointment/employment (including when taken up)
Vice President Global Government Relations (23 September 2024)
Department’s decision on application (including details of any waiting period or other conditions or restrictions applied)
- The applicant should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of themself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available from their time in Crown service.
- The applicant should continue to review the Business Appointment Rules guidance before accepting any new appointment or employment for 1 year after leaving the Civil Service to ensure that there is no cause for justified public concern, criticism or misinterpretation.
- For 1 year from their last day of service, the applicant should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government on behalf of their new employer and/or its clients.