Ashtead Group plc is a British industrial equipment rental company formerly based in Leatherhead, Surrey, but which has since moved to new offices in the City of London. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Ashtead was founded in 1947, in the village of Ashtead, Surrey, as Ashtead Plant and Tool Hire. In 1986, it was first listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 1990, it bought Sunbelt Rentals. In October 2006, it acquired NationsRent Inc for $1bn. In June 2008, it sold Ashtead Technology in a management buyout deal. It bought Pride Equipment Corporation for US $279 million in April 2017.

In November 2018, it was announced that Geoff Drabble would retire as CEO after twelve years on 1 May 2019, and would be succeeded by Brendan Horgan, the Group COO and chief executive of Sunbelt Rentals, Ashtead’s North American business.

Type:                     Public limited company

Traded as:           LSE: AHT

FTSE 100:             Component

Industry:              Plant hire

Founded:            1947; 73 years ago

Headquarters:   London, United Kingdom

Website:              www.ashtead-group.com