The Department for Transport (DfT) has appointed Gareth Davies, currently a director general within the department, as its new second permanent secretary.
It said Mr Davies (pictured) would provide leadership of a number of high-profile areas, including decarbonising transport.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said he was ‘delighted’ by the appointment and that Mr Davies ‘brings a wealth of experience from across government and the private sector’.
He said: ‘I look forward to working with Gareth on the key challenges for transport including decarbonisation, levelling up and ensuring transport is delivering for the travelling public every day.’
DfT permanent secretary Bernadette Kelly said: ‘Gareth’s appointment as second permanent secretary is great news for the department. He has demonstrated outstanding skills in leading DfT’s international and operational work over the past couple of years and played a central part in mobilising our response to the pandemic.
‘In this new role, he will bring real momentum and energy to our work on the big strategic challenges facing transport in the coming decades.’
Mr Davies said he was ‘very proud to be appointed’ to the role. He said: ‘We have amazing teams who have been working tirelessly to keep the country moving throughout the pandemic.
‘I’m looking forward to leading our work to decarbonise and improve transport for the travelling public.’
Mr Davies has been director general of the DfT’s aviation, maritime, international and security group since May 2019. He was previously director general, business and science in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
He previously led the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and was a private secretary in Downing Street and recently worked for AIA, the pan-Asian life insurance company based in Hong Kong.
He spent his early career as a management consultant, specialising in privatisation, investment appraisal and competition policy.
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