Loveday Ryder has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and will be starting her new role on 1 January 2021.

DVSA’s purpose is to help everyone stay safe on Britain’s roads. The agency carries out driving tests, approves people to be driving instructors and MOT testers carries out tests to make sure lorries and buses are safe to drive, carries out roadside checks on drivers and vehicles, and monitors vehicle recalls.

Department for Transport Permanent Secretary Bernadette Kelly said:

I’m delighted to welcome Loveday Ryder to the department in her role as Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

DVSA’s work affects everyone in the country, and Loveday’s wide range of business change and performance improvement experience will be invaluable in helping DVSA overcome the operational challenges created by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. I would like to express my thanks to Gareth Llewellyn for his immense contribution as Chief Executive, and wish him every success for the future. Loveday Ryder was appointed as BPDTS Ltd’s Chief Executive Officer on 22 January 2018. BPDTS provides specialist digital technology services to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Previously, Loveday spent 12 years in the Ministry of Justice, where she successfully served in several senior roles in organisation design, change management and programme delivery,

Before joining the Civil Service in 2006, Loveday worked within a specialist management consultancy.

Loveday Ryder said:

I’m thrilled and excited to be joining DVSA, whose people are so passionate about helping everyone stay safe on Britain’s roads. I want to help build on the successes already achieved through DVSA’s 5-year strategy. DVSA will continue to change, improve and modernise services for customers, embrace smarter ways of working and make the most of new technology while making sure road safety remains at the heart of everything we do.

I’m looking forward to supporting DVSA colleagues in the vital work they do to help achieve the vision we all share - safer drivers, safer vehicles and safer journeys for all.