Stephen Lovegrove

Stephen Lovegrove is a senior British civil servant who is currently the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence.

He previously held the same position at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) from February 2013.

Background

According to Lovegrove's government biography:

Prior to DECC, he spent 9 years at the Shareholder Executive and was appointed Chief Executive in June 2007. Before that, he spent ten years at Deutsche Bank, where he was the head of the European media team working on a wide range of capital raisings, acquisitions and divestments in all the sub-sectors of the media industry. Before the City, Stephen spent five years as a strategic consultant.

Stephen also sat on the board of The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and is a Trustee of the Charities Aid Foundation.

Controversies

Hosted fracking dinner

This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

On 9 May 2013 Lovegrove and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood hosted a 'working dinner' 'to discuss the issues relating to the development of unconventional gas and oil in Lancashire and nationally'.

The dinner was organised by the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil, DECC and was held at the Dickson Room, Preston Marriott, Broughton. Confirmed attendees included:

• Ken Cronin – Chief Executive, UK Onshore Operators Group (UKOOG)
• Francis Egan – CEO, Cuadrilla Resources
• Duarte Figueira – Head, Office of Unconventional Gas & Oil, DECC
• Peter Forsyth – Director, Strategy & Investment, Carillion
• Tony Grayling – Head of Environment Policy, Environment Agency
• Phil Halsall – CEO, Lancashire County Council
• Calum MacLean – Chairman, Ineos O&P Europe
• Simon Toole – Head, Licensing, Exploration and Development, DECC

The names of the company and government representatives at this working dinner were not revealed in DECC's 'transparency' list of quarterly meetings; they emerged as the result of freedom of information requests by the media.

The following month (June), Lovegrove had a meeting with Cuadrilla, and an 'introductory meeting' with Ineos.

Nuclear activities

Helping to secure investment

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary of State, Edward Davey, said of Lovegrove's appointment:

This is an excellent appointment. Stephen’s proven commercial experience will be an invaluable addition to the Department’s capability. We need to attract billions in private sector investment to build new power stations and to upgrade the energy efficiency of the nation’s homes. Stephen and I worked together for nearly two years when I was a Minister at BIS, not least on the reform of Royal Mail, so I know he will be a huge asset to DECC.

Nuclear negotiator

Lovegrove worked alongside HM Treasury Commercial Secretary Paul Deighton in the ongoing negotiations with French nuclear firm EDF to reach a "strike price" agreement for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, Somerset.

Hospitality received

• 03/04/2013 Credit Suisse - Business lunch
• 30/04/2013 Rothschild - Business breakfast
• 12/06/2013 SSE - Business reception

CV

• 1966 Born in Warwickshire
• 1989 Awarded an English degree from Corpus Christi, Oxford
• 1990 Joins media industry consultancy Hydra Associates
• 1994 Moves to Deutsche Morgan Grenfell to work as an investment banker
• 2004 Recruited by Shareholder Executive, becoming chief executive in 2007; joins board of Locog and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, and oversees sale of British Energy to EDF
• 2013 Made permanent secretary, DECC

Social media

Twitter: Stephen Lovegrove

Resources

• Matt Ross, Interview: Stephen Lovegrove, CivilService World, 1 May, 2013