Simon Virley
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This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch. |
Simon Virley was director general for 'energy markets and infrastructure group' in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), leading the UK government’s work on on renewables, nuclear, oil and gas, shale, carbon capture and storage, and UK energy security issues from September 2009 until January 2015.
In a classic case of the revolving door between politics and business, Virley left the civil service to take up the role of chair of energy and natural resources at KPMG UK in February 2015. He had previously worked for the Big Four firm on secondment from 2005-08.
Reformer
According to KPMG, Virley led the biggest reforms to the UK energy market since privatisation. [1]
Background
Virley is an economist by training and spent most of the 1990s at HM Treasury, including leading the work on ‘green’ taxes. [2]
Between 2000-03 he was private secretary to Tony Blair while he was prime minister, and dealt with economic affairs. He then lead the cross-departmental work on better regulation as director of the Better Regulation Executive (2003-05), before a secondment at KPMG where he was director of corporate finance, advising on the financing of energy and other major infrastructure projects. [2]
He was also a temporary joint chair of the Electricity Strategy Network Group.
He was chief executive of the Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) and acting director general for the National Climate Change & Consumer Support Group within DECC. [2]
Hospitality received
- EirGrid Board - lunch 15/05/2013
Affiliations
- KPMG - secondment to this Big Four firm whilst employed by HM Treasury 2005-08
Awards
- Awarded a CB (Companion of the Bath) in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours for ‘Services to UK energy supply and energy security’.
Notes
- ↑ KPMG strengthens Energy practice with the appointment of Simon Virley from DECC, KPMG website, 2015 news release dated 2 February 2015, accessed 12 August 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Simon Virley, DECC website, accessed 10 September 2012
