ChargeUK, the business group for the UK’s EV charging infrastructure industry, has appointed Jarrod Birch as its first head of policy.

Jarrod Birch, head of policy at ChargeUK

Birch joins from Shell Recharge, where he was policy & advocacy lead, having also previously been a member of ChargeUK’s Board.

His focus will be on creating the policy and regulatory conditions the sector needs to build the UK’s EV charging infrastructure at a time when the EV transition is at a critical point.

Birch said: “Having been involved in ChargeUK since its early days, I have seen first-hand the impact that this new organisation has had on the sector over the past 18 months.

“Rollout is continuing at a record rate, with the public charging network already supporting a million EV drivers today, but there is much more to be done, so I am looking forward to supporting the industry at this critical stage of the transition.”

Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK, commented: “The appointment of a permanent head of policy demonstrates the success of ChargeUK in supporting the sector. Our members have committed to investing billions of pounds and are already delivering exponential growth in charge point availability, with over 70,000 public charge points now in the UK.

“I’m looking forward to working with Jarrod to continue this momentum and ensure that EV charging is as convenient and affordable as possible.”

ChargeUK has also appointed two new board members: Laura Hardy, chief communications officer at Gridserve, and Antoine Picron, senior policy manager, ChargePoint.

Hardy and Picron join the board as Birch steps down from his previous position and Natasha Mahmoudian, head of public policy & business development, UK & Ireland, Tesla, takes maternity leave.