Ashley is a founding member of Transect, where he shaped the company's strategic thesis, business model, and early formation following a year-long effort to identify critical service gaps in the offshore wind supply chain. He brings 15 years of experience advising patient capital investors across the energy, infrastructure, healthcare, agribusiness, and technology sectors.

Prior to Transect, he co-founded Sofala Partners, an Africa-focused advisory firm that achieved six years of 100%+ year-on-year growth before exiting via a management buyout. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Office of the Director of Strategy at the World Bank Group, supporting the organization's global development and investment initiatives.

Ashley specialises in strategic growth, commercial strategy, and navigating dynamic markets. His advisory work has supported multinationals, trading houses, and financial institutions—including BP plc, Macquarie, Actis, Standard Bank, Uber, Netflix, and Mastercard—on transactions, international expansion, and market entry across more than 35 countries.

Ashley holds a BA in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge University and an MA in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He has authored publications for the International Finance Corporation and provided commentary to The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Reuters and BBC News. Ashley serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Humanity Insured, a not-for-profit backed by the global insurance industry which empowers communities on the climate crisis frontline to access new forms of insurance protection.