Dipesh J Shah CBE, OBE, FRSA Chairman, Chief Executive and Non-Executive Director Infrastructure, Energy Transition and Investment Leader

Dipesh J Shah CBE, OBE, FRSA is a senior board leader with extensive experience across infrastructure, energy, transport, financial services, public policy and sustainable investment.

He currently chairs the investment committees of major pan-European infrastructure funds focused on energy transition, climate and infrastructure. This gives him direct insight into capital allocation, project governance, risk management, investment discipline and long-term infrastructure finance.

His earlier executive career included serving as Chief Executive Officer of the UK Atomic Energy Authority and holding senior leadership roles at BP. He later chaired National Highways from September 2020 to the end of 2023, overseeing delivery of the UK’s second Road Investment Strategy, one of the country’s largest strategic road investment programmes. In June 2024, he was appointed CBE for services to transport.

Dipesh has held senior non-executive roles across major institutions and infrastructure-linked organisations, including Babcock International Group plc, Lloyd’s of London, The Crown Estate, Thames Water and Canaccord Genuity.

He has worked on energy transition and sustainable development for many years. Earlier in his career, he led the growth of BP Solar International into one of the world’s largest solar businesses and chaired the European solar industry association during an important stage in the sector’s development. He also served on the UK Government’s Renewable Energy Advisory Committee and, as a Crown Estate Commissioner, helped shape early licensing terms for offshore wind.

More recently, Dipesh served as independent Chair of the Oxford to Cambridge Partnership, a pan-regional initiative focused on innovation-led growth, sustainable development, infrastructure, data and investment promotion. The Partnership delivered its 2023 to 2025 work programme and closed in May 2025 after government funding ended, with its legacy assets transferred to regional bodies.

At UKAIS 2026, Dipesh will bring a board-level investor perspective to discussions on infrastructure, energy transition, transport connectivity and capital deployment. His contribution will focus on what makes infrastructure and industrial platforms investable, including project preparation, governance, risk allocation, blended finance, delivery capability and institutional investor confidence.

His participation aligns strongly with the Summit theme, Trade Corridors and Industrial Platforms: From Access to Production. His experience is highly relevant to Africa’s need for bankable infrastructure, stronger energy systems, transport corridors and long-term investment partnerships that can move projects from market access to production-led growth.