Philip Dilley

Sir Philip Graham Dilley (born 16 February 1955) is a British engineer, businessman, and public servant. He was the chairman of the Environment Agency in England. Dilley is a former business adviser to David Cameron.[1]

Sir Philip Dilley
Chairman of the Council of Imperial College London
Assumed office
May 2015
Preceded byEliza Manningham-Buller
Chairman of the Environment Agency
In office
September 2014 – January 2016
Preceded byChris Smith
Personal details
Born
Philip Graham Dilley

(1955-02-16) 16 February 1955
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Alma materImperial College London

Early life

Dilley was born on 16 February 1955.[2] He studied civil engineering at Imperial College London, and graduated with a first-class bachelor's degree in 1976.[3]

Career

Arup

Dilley joined Arup Group Limited on graduation, training as a structural engineer, specialising in building design where he turned architects drawings and residential plans into actual buildings and developments, in UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Progressing through the group, he led the project to build Kansai International Airport, Arup's first major project in Japan.[4][5]

Promoted to the board, Dilley became chairman of the board. In this position, he accompanied Prime Minister David Cameron on trade missions to India,[6] China and Russia[7] and was a guest at a state banquet at Windsor Castle when the Indian president was hosted by the Queen.[8]

In 2012, Dilley was an elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects,[9] and held a non-executive position at Grosvenor Group.[10]

Public service

Since July 2011, Dilley has been a member of the Council of Imperial College London. On 18 May 2015, he was appointed Chairman of the council, succeeding Baroness Manningham-Buller, to serve a four-year term.[3]

From 2012 to 2014, Dilley served as Chairman of London First.[11]

Environment Agency: 2014–16

Dilley was appointed as the Environment Agency's chairman in September 2014,[12] succeeding Chris Smith in the post.

In December 2015, during the unprecedented flooding of northern England, he was criticised for failing to cut short a holiday to Barbados to lead the flood response.[13] Although only required to work a three-day week for his £100k-a-year job, according to The Independent he had promised on appointment that he would work six or seven days a week and turn up in his wellington boots if there was a crisis. His staff admitted he had been trying to avoid media scrutiny.[14]

In January 2016, The Sunday Times described the Environment Agency's statement that Dilley's trip to Barbados was a family visit as a "Windies whopper" and an "attempt to mislead the public." The family had indeed been at their villa in Barbados but Lady Dilley is from Jamaica −1200 miles away and has no connection with Barbados. When interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Week in Westminster following suggestions he should resign, Conservative MP Nigel Evans agreed Dilley should spend more time in Barbados.[15] In contrast, in the same newspaper Jeremy Clarkson wrote: "We pay him to do a job. And now we must leave him alone so that he can get on and do it."[16]

Dilley resigned as chairman of the Environment Agency on 11 January 2016. He claimed he was stepping down because “expectations” of his role have changed to mean he has to be “available at short notice throughout the year”.[17]

Honours

Dilley was knighted in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to engineering.[18][19]

Personal life

Dilley and his second wife June own a holiday home in Barbados.[20]

References
  1. "Arup chairman joins UK PM's Business Advisory Group". Arup. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  2. "DILLEY, Sir Philip (Graham)". Who's Who 2014. A & C Black. November 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. Miller, Tom (10 March 2015). "Alumnus Sir Philip Dilley appointed next Chair of Imperial's Council". Imperial College London. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  4. "Philip Dilley". Arup. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  5. "Philip Dilley — Thoughts". Arup. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  6. Watt, Nicholas (27 July 2010). "David Cameron seeks to impress India with his massive delegation". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  7. "Interview: Arup's Philip Dilley is bringing bold ideas from the sketchpad to reality". Evening Standard. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  8. "Court Circular: Oct 28" (PDF). The Times. 28 October 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  9. "Philip Dilley named Honorary Fellow by RIBA". Arup. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  10. "Philip Dilley — Non-Executive Director". Grosvenor Group. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  11. "London First appoints John Allan as Chairman". London First. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  12. "Sir Philip Dilley". gov.uk. UK government. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  13. Rayner, Gordon (30 December 2015). "Environment Agency 'misled the public' over chairman's movements amid flood disaster". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  14. Caroline Mortimer (31 December 2015). "Sir Philip Dilley promised to 'turn up in his Wellingtons in a flooding crisis' when he first got the job". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  15. Gadher, Dipesh (10 January 2016). "Flood chief is caught out by Windies whopper". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  16. Clarkson, Jeremy (3 January 2016). "Pipe down, mudslingers. It was Frank, not Phil, that soaked the north". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  17. Dominiczak, Peter (11 January 2016). "Sir Philip Dilley quits as Environment Agency chairman after Barbados holiday during floods". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  18. "Queen's birthday honours list 2014: Knights". The Guardian. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  19. Bawden, Tom (19 December 2014). "New Environment Agency head Sir Philip Dilley won't mind getting his feet wet". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  20. Ward, Victoria (10 January 2016). "Environment Agency chairman faces renewed calls to quit as it emerges wife 'not from Barbados'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
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