Sir Ashley Bloomfield studied medicine at the University of Auckland, where he met his wife. They worked as House Surgeons in Whangarei before embarking on their OE, cycling through Europe and working as junior doctors in the UK. Back in New Zealand, Sir Ashley specialised in public health and joined the Ministry of Health in the late 1990s. 

He has 25 years of experience in public policy and health leadership including a year at the World Health Organization in Geneva. He has held leadership positions across multiple District Health Boards including Capital & Coast, Wairarapa and Hutt Valley where he held the role of Chief Executive.

In 2023, Sir Ashley began a new role as a professor at the University of Auckland where he is teaching on public health and leadership and establishing a new  Institute to strengthen the impact of the University’s world-class research. He is also working on global health with the World Health Organization and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, having recently been appointed to the Board of ESR.

He was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to public health.