Department for
Energy Security and Net Zero
24
December 2025
Paid appointment with Madano
Partnership Ltd: Application under the Business Appointment Rules from
Professor Paul Monks CB, FRMetS, FRSC, FInstP, former Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department
for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Thank you for submitting an application for advice under the
Business Appointment Rules (the Rules) to the Civil Service Commission (the
Commission) on behalf of Professor Paul Monks CB, FRMetS,
FRSC, FInstP, formerly Chief Scientific Adviser
at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The application is
for a part time, paid role as Advisor with Madano
Partnership Ltd (Madano). Further detail on the
content of the application is in the Annex. The Commission’s advice is required
as Professor Monks is a former civil servant at SCS Pay Band 3. His last day of
service was 30 September 2025.
The purpose of the Rules is to
protect the integrity of the government. They aim to avoid any reasonable
concerns that: a civil servant may be influenced in their official duties by
the risk of reward; a civil servant may improperly exploit access to information;
and an organisation may gain an improper influence through the employment of a
civil servant.
The Commission’s advice[1] is
that this application should be subject to the following conditions:
- Privileged
information – Professor Monks should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of himself or
the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged
information available to him from his time in office.
- Lobbying –
For two years from his last day in office, until 30 September 2027,
Professor Monks should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK
government or its arm’s length bodies on behalf of Madano
(including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients). He
should also not make use, directly or indirectly, of his contacts in the
government and/or civil service to influence policy, secure
business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage Madano
(including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients).
- Bids and
contracts – For two years from his last day in office, until 30 any policy
or operational matter he had a material role in developing or determining,
or where he had a material relationship with Madano
or its clients, during his time as Chief Scientific Adviser at DESNZ.
September 2027, Professor Monks must not provide advice to Madano on any bid or contract relating to the UK
government or its arm’s length bodies.
- Limitation
to the role – For two years from his last day in office, until 30
September 2027, Professor Monks is prevented from advising Madano or its clients on work regarding any policy or
operational matter not yet in the public domain that he had a material
role in developing or determining, or where he had a material relationship
with Madano or its clients, during his time as
Chief Scientific Adviser at DESNZ.
Professor Monks confirmed to the
Commission his intention to fully comply with the conditions that apply to his
role. Madano also confirmed its understanding of and
adherence to the conditions that apply to Professor Monks’ role as Advisor, and
that he will not be involved in lobbying.
The Rules set out that civil servants must abide by the
Commission’s advice. It is Professor Monks’ personal responsibility to manage
the propriety of any appointment and to understand any other rules and
regulations they may be subject to in parallel with the Commission’s advice.
Professor Monks must seek advice if he proposes to extend or
otherwise change his role with the organisation. Once this appointment has been
publicly announced or taken up, the letter will be published on the Civil
Service Commission’s website.
Yours sincerely,
Gisela Stuart
First Civil Service Commissioner
Annex A: The application
Applicant
assessment
- According to its website, Madano is a London-based communications consultancy
and subsidiary of Avenir Global Ltd, a Montreal-based holding and
management company. Madano has a specific focus on net-zero transition (NZT) and
healthcare, and operates across areas including corporate and brand
communications, government affairs and media relations.
- Madano is a registered consultant
lobbyist[2].
A key component of its portfolio is work with Hydrogen UK, which it
supported to launch and with which it continues to develop campaigns to
secure hydrogen's role in the net-zero future. In 2019, Madano organised the UK Hydrogen Investment Forum.
This event was attended by government officials including the
then-Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy (BEIS), predecessor body of the Department of Energy
Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
- As Advisor, Professor Monks
stated his roles and responsibilities at Madano
would involve:
● Providing high-level strategic and
technical advice to Madano’s clients on
sustainability, NZT, energy policy, and innovation.
● Hosting Madano’s
events with key stakeholders.
● Collaborating with the NZT practice
and marketing team on authored content, commentary or media opportunities to
strengthen Madano’s profile in the energy transition
and innovation sectors.
● Participating in selective
business-development meetings or introductions where his profile and network
add value.
● Advising the leadership team on policy
and market trends influencing the UK’s net-zero and industrial strategy
landscape.
● Providing periodic input into the NZT
practice strategy and future capability development.
- Professor Monks stated he was
personally approached by Madano for this role.
- Professor Monks stated his role
will not involve contact with government. He stated his role will involve
advising companies on how to approach government, though he will not be
personally involved nor representing the interests of Madano
or its clients to government.
- Professor Monks stated that he
was not involved in decisions specific to Madano
during his time in service, nor was he privy to sensitive information that
may provide an unfair advantage to the company. He stated that, as a
university academic, he had extensive contact with the research and
development sectors in which Madano operates.
- Professor Monks noted that much
of his relevant experience for this position predates his most recent
Civil Service role. This includes posts as:
● Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of the
College of Science and Engineering at the University of Leicester (where he
remains a Professor in Atmospheric Chemistry and Earth Observation Science).
● Chair of the Defra Air Quality Expert
Group and Deputy Chair of the Defra Science Advisory Council, alongside roles
in the UK Research and Investment-Natural Environment Research Council advice
structures.
● European Representative on the
Environmental Pollution and Atmospheric Chemistry Scientific Steering Committee
of the World Meteorological Organisation.
● European Representative on the
International Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution.
- As Chief Scientific Advisor at
DESNZ, Professor Monks was responsible for providing scientific and
engineering evidence to inform strategic decision-making, as well as
providing strategic oversight and assurance of the department’s science
and engineering capabilities. This included leading and engaging on
relevant national and international science and engineering issues.
- As Chief Scientific Adviser at
DESNZ, Professor Monks’ work on hydrogen and net-zero issues included:
● Serving as a government member on the
Hydrogen Delivery Council throughout his tenure. This has included focus on
hydrogen's role in the UK's energy transition, specifically updating progress
on the Hydrogen to Power (H2P) business model and infrastructure development.[3]
● Co-Chair of the Clean Power Science
and Technology Panel which aims to ensure that the mission to deliver clean
power by 2030 and accelerate the journey to net zero is underpinned by the best
available scientific and technological advice.[4]
● Advising on the Clean Energy
Superpower Mission (published in October 2025)[5],
which focussed on delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the transition
to net zero by 2050 by strategically directing: Research & Development
across sectors, technologies, system-wide challenges.
Correspondence with Madano
- Madano confirmed its understanding of,
and adherence to the Commission’s advice and the conditions imposed on
Professor Monks’ appointment and that his role will not involve lobbying
the UK Government.
Departmental assessment
- DESNZ confirmed Professor Monks
was not involved in decisions specific to Madano
or its parent company, Avenir Global, during his time in post. The
department noted his only official contact with the company was attendance
at a single stakeholder event, which did not result in any further
engagement or decisions.
- DESNZ does not consider
Professor Monks to possess sensitive information or any knowledge of
unannounced or impending changes in government policy that may provide an
unfair advantage to Madano.
- DESNZ did not express any
concerns with the appointment and recommended the standard conditions.
- Separately, DESNZ noted that
while Professor Monks does not currently anticipate any dealings with
government, his activities may be subject to the department’s ongoing
monitoring and he must notify them if his role changes.
CSC’s analysis
- Risk of reward. Whilst Madano
has contracts with DESNZ, the department confirmed Professor Monks was not
involved in any decisions specific to the organisation or its parent
company, commercial or otherwise. His sole interaction with the company
whilst in post resulted in no further action. The risk of reward for
decisions or actions taken in office is likely to be low.
- Access to information. Professor Monks' former role
involved defining research and development priorities for the UK’s clean
energy and net zero approach. This included his membership of the Hydrogen
Delivery Council throughout his tenure, his role on the Clean Power
Science and Technology Panel and advisory role for the Clean Energy
Superpower Mission. While this would have provided access to a wide range
of strategic information, DESNZ confirmed he did not possess specific
commercially sensitive information or detail on unannounced policy changes
that could offer an unfair advantage. Consequently, the risk related to
his access to information is considered limited. Any remaining risk is
appropriately mitigated by the privileged information ban as part of the
standard conditions.
- Improper influence. There are risks associated with
a former senior civil servant joining an organisation that has existing
relationships across government as a lobbyist and may seek to further
expand its influence. Professor Monks stated that his role will not
involve contact with, or lobbying of, government. Professor Monks and Madano confirmed to the Commission their intention to
fully comply with the lobbying ban that applies to him.
- Unknown clients. The Commission considered that
there are risks associated with the unknown, ad-hoc nature of Madano’s clients. The Commission recognised the
department’s view that he is not privy to sensitive information specific
to the company that may present an unfair advantage. However, a risk may
arise depending on the specific client work he undertakes. A condition is
applied to mitigate any remaining risk, preventing him from advising Madano or its clients on work regarding any policy or
operational matter he had a material role in developing or determining, or
where he had a material relationship with Madano
or its clients, while Chief Scientific Advisor at DESNZ. Madano confirmed to the Commission their intention for
Professor Monks’ role to fully comply with this condition.