Making COP26 matter: Engineering a net-zero future

Alice Bunn: CEO, Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Dr Alice Bunn is Chief Executive of the Institution for Mechanical Engineers. She is a Fellow of the Institution and took up her role as CEO in July 2021. In her previous role, she was International Director at the UK Space Agency, responsible for increasing the UK’s global influence in science, security and trade through space. She led teams responsible for ensuring international competitiveness through developing world class skills in the UK space sector; developing multilateral and bilateral international partnerships in space; and delivering the security and resilience of the UK’s infrastructure and space applications.

Alice was head of the UK delegation to the European Space Agency and sat on the Board of Directors at the US Space Foundation as well as on the World Economic Forum Future Council on space technology. She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and sits on the board of trustees at the charity SwimTayka. She is married with 4 children, 1 dog and 1 cat.

Alice also has a PhD in Metallurgy from Darwin College, University of Cambridge.

Amol Gulve: Engineering Manager, Volvo Group and Fellow, Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Amol Gulve is the Fellow at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Chartered Engineer, who is spearheading the transformation of new and emerging technologies to develop sustainable transport solutions. Amol has over 15 years of widespread industry experience in various senior-level capacities within the automotive industry.

Currently, he is working with the Volvo Group in North America as an Engineering Manager leading a team of highly skilled professional engineers to develop innovative products. Amol has been recognized for his collaborative leadership style and keen ability to effectively translate complex engineering principles into tangible solutions.

Through IMechE’s initiatives, Amol is looking forward to contributing his experience and knowledge to the engineering community to build a sustainable future. Amol is selected amongst his peers to lead the COP26 event focusing on Clean transport solutions to drive the world leaders in accelerating solutions to achieve net-zero emission targets.

Daniel Burton: Group Founder & CEO, Wondrwall

Daniel has vast experience in successfully bringing technology companies to market. Extensive experience in leading technical IP strategy/landscaping for technology projects. Focus on building commercialisation opportunities from open innovation leads, liaising with external technology partners & experts. Prior businesses included Organic Electronics Innovation and Corecom Consulting.

Daniel founded the Wondrwall Group in 2014 with the vision of making every home in the world ecologically sustainable, using self-learning technology and renewable energy to create ultra-efficient carbon net-zero homes to power a brighter future.

Jean Thomassin: Executive Director, New Product and Service Introduction, Pratt & Whitney Canada

Jean Thomassin was appointed Senior Director, New Product and Service Introduction (NPSI) at Pratt & Whitney Canada in 2020. In his role, Jean oversees the company’s efforts to develop enterprise level requirements for future sustainable propulsion systems, technologies and business models.  

Jean assumed this role after acquiring more than 20 years of experience working for Pratt & Whitney Canada and United Technologies Corporation’s Chief Technology Office (CTO). More specifically, he joined the CTO after serving for two years as Senior Director, Systems Engineering at Pratt & Whitney Canada. 

Recently, he was Project Director for Project 804, a joint collaboration between Pratt & Whitney and Collins, to develop a hybrid-electric propulsion technology demonstrator. In addition to these responsibilities, Jean played a key role in the development of innovative new technologies. 

Jean holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Sherbrooke, a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Concordia University, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Montreal.

Juan A. Morillas: Associate Architect, BDP and Founder, shareyourgreendesign.com

Juan A. Morillas is a passionate architect with a focus on Sustainable Architecture and works as Architect Associate at BDP. He embraces a collaboratively and holistic approach to architecture, working alongside clients, consultants and contractors in order to achieve the best and most efficient design for each specific project. He is currently an associate architect at BDP based in Dublin, Ireland and is a regular speaker at events related to Sustainable Design. He has worked on projects located in UK, Ireland, Spain, China, Russia, Lebanon and USA over his nearly 20 years of career as an architect. These projects span across a number of sectors including residential, offices, cultural, education, landscape design and master planning.

He founded the platform shareyourgreendesign in 2021 with the intention to motivate professionals across the globe to share their Green case studies and their knowledge. The mission is to equip architects, engineers, and all building professionals with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration they need to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. As a strong believer in team work, Juan A. is putting together a talented, multidisciplinary, multicultural team of professionals to develop his initial idea to become a reference platform for Green Design Worldwide.

Matt Rooney: Engineering Policy Manager, Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Matt Rooney works closely with the Chief Engineer and the IMechE’s expert Member groups to develop policy positions for the Institution. He also regularly engages with print and broadcast media to help shape the debate in the field of engineering policy.

After spending six years as a mechanical engineer working on the design and manufacture of components for particle accelerators at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Matt returned to university to study technology policy. The main focus of his research was on deployment strategies for new energy technologies, with case studies including carbon capture and storage and small modular reactors. Following this, he spent 18 months as an Energy Policy Research Fellow at a prominent think tank in Westminster before finally joining IMechE in May 2018.

Nick Wayth: CEO, Energy Institute

Nick Wayth has held a broad career at the forefront of change in the energy industry as it adapts ever faster to tackling climate change.

Nick spent nearly 22 years at BP plc in a broad variety of executive and management roles. Most recently Nick held the post of Chief Development Officer of Alternative Energy, where he led BP’s strategy and business development in a broad range of renewable technologies, including solar, offshore wind and digital energy. Through this role Nick was also a member of the BP Ventures Investment Committee, sponsoring several of BP’s venture investments.

Prior to this Nick held senior roles as VP Competitor Intelligence and as Head of North America Investor Relations, based in Houston. Nick’s early career was spent in a variety of operational, technical, and commercial roles in the upstream business, based offshore in the North Sea, Aberdeen, Algeria and London.

Nick holds a PhD in Mechanical / Electrical Engineering and a degree in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of Southampton.  Nick is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and a Fellow of both the Energy Institute and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Nick is passionate about creating an inclusive and supportive environment for working parents and carers and was the executive sponsor for an active resource group at BP’s St James’s Square office. Nick also advises and mentors entrepreneurs in energy start-up companies.

Outside of work, Nick enjoys running, cycling, yoga and spending time with his wife, Debbie, and their two sons.

Ruth Quinn: Research Associate, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield

Ruth Quinn is a water engineer that specialises in holistic solutions to water quality and quantity issues. Her previous research includes modelling heavy metal movement through Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and monitoring and evaluating the performance of community rainwater harvesting (sand dams) in rural Kenya.

She is currently a research associate at the University of Sheffield (2019 - present), examining the impact of small-scale SuDS (rainwater harvesting, rain gardens, etc.) on flood resilience and combined sewer overflow events.   She is part of a large inter-disciplinary team of social and environmental scientists landscape architects. At one of the team's case study sites in Hull, UK, they are working with the local community to develop a rainwater management scheme that involves domestic tanks. The community's views are sought regarding water demand, tank preference, and their willingness to empty it before a large storm. They are also working at a number of sites across Hull to co-design, co-develop and co-maintain SuDS with the local community.

Opening keynote speaker: Chris Skidmore: Member of Parliament, and former Energy and Climate Change Minister

Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP has been the Member of Parliament for Kingswood, near Bristol, and is a former Minister attending Cabinet who has served across four departments in the UK Government. He was appointed to the Privy Council in November 2019. Most recently, he was twice Minister of State for Universities, Research, Innovation and Skills (2018-19, 2019-2020). In 2019, he was also appointed interim Energy and Climate Change Minister, attending Cabinet. In this role, Chris signed the UK commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions into law by 2050 and helped to secure the UK's bid to host the UN COP26 conference taking place in Glasgow in November. He has also served as Minister of State for Health and Minister for the Constitution in the Cabinet Office (2016-2018), was Chair of the Conservative Party's Policy Review and Vice Chairman of the party for policy, Political Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, and served as Deputy Chairman of the Number 10 Policy Board under former Prime Minister David Cameron. Chris was first elected as Member of Parliament for Kingswood in 2010, winning the seat with the second highest swing from the Labour party to Conservative in the General Election. He has increased his vote share in the three subsequent General Elections, from 40% to over 56% of the vote. Chris studied history to postgraduate level at Christ Church, Oxford, and previously taught history at Bristol University. He continues to pursue his initial career as an historian, writing Tudor and Medieval History— his books include Richard III: Brother, Protector, King (2017, published in the US as Richard III: England's Most Controversial King, 2019), Bosworth: The Birth of the Tudors (2013, published in the US as The Rise of the Tudors, 2014), Death and the Virgin (2010) and Edward VI: The Lost King of England (2007). He has also co-authored two books with the current Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Business Secretary and International Trade Secretary— After The Coalition (2011) and Britannia Unchained (2012).  While at M-RCBG, Chris will pursue a project, Mission Zero: Charting a Course or Running Aground? Choices and consequences for delivering in net zero in an uncertain world by 2050. His faculty advisor is Richard Zeckhauser, the Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School.

Guy Newey: Strategy and Performance Director, Energy Systems Catapult

Guy oversees policy, marketing and communications, bid management and stakeholder relations for the Catapult, as well as being responsible for developing and monitoring the Catapult’s overall strategy.

He joined Energy Systems Catapult in September 2018 after being Energy and Climate Adviser to Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark.

Guy was previously Special Adviser to former Energy Secretary Amber Rudd. Before that he was Head of Policy at energy supplier, Ovo Energy and worked at the think tank, Policy Exchange, where he was Head of Environment and Energy. He was previously a journalist, including three years as a foreign correspondent in Hong Kong for the newswire, AFP.

Tim Podesta: Independent Consultant, and World Hydrogen Leaders Faculty

Tim is a subject matter expert in Project Shaping and Front End Planning, Investment Analysis and Benchmarking. He celebrated 35 years with BP in 2016 having completed a number of leadership roles in technical, commercial, project and programme management. He is currently an Independent Consultant and Faculty Member of World Hydrogen Leaders, presenting a course on the Investment Case for Hydrogen. Tim is passionate about professional development, sharing learning and learning with a focus on the netzero agenda and the potential for a hydrogen economy alongside clean electricity.

Tim is an active member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and currently a Board member of the Management Group. His first IMechE role was as a committee member of the London Young Members, since when he has been part of the Fluid Machinery Committee, Power Division Board and Thamesway Chiltern Area Committee.

Will Swan: Director, Energy House Laboratories, University of Salford

Professor Will Swan is the Director of Energy House Laboratories (EHL) at the University of Salford. EHL is home to series of facilities focuses on different aspects of energy consumption in homes and buildings ranging from fabric performance to smart metering. These facilities include the award winning Salford Energy House and the forthcoming Energy House 2.0, as £16m facility to be launched in 2022. He has led a wide range of projects for BEIS, EU and Innovate UK and has written widely on subjects including building performance and retrofit. He is the current Chair of Low Carbon Buildings in Greater Manchester and is a member of the Retrofit Taskforce.

Kirsty Gogan: Managing Partner, LucidCatalyst and Co-Founder, TerraPraxis

Kirsty is managing partner, with Eric Ingersoll, of LucidCatalyst, a highly specialised international consultancy offering thought leadership, strategy development and techno-economic expertise focused on multiplying and accelerating zero carbon technology options available for rapid, large-scale and competitive decarbonisation of the global economy. Kirsty is also co-founder, also with Eric Ingersoll, of TerraPraxis, a non-profit organisation working with an extensive global network to define, incubate and initiate scalable strategies to deliver prosperity and decarbonisation. TerraPraxis published the widely cited report: Missing Link to a Livable Climate: How Hydrogen-Enabled Synthetic Fuels Can Help Deliver the Paris Goals (2020). The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently appointed Kirsty to serve on a committee to identify opportunities and barriers to the commercialisation of advanced nuclear technologies over the next 30 years. Kirsty has been reappointed to the UK Government’s newly re-constituted Nuclear Innovation Research Advisory Board, and also serves on the Board of the US NGO, Nuclear Innovation Alliance, and is a co-founder of the global Clean Energy Ministerial Flexible Nuclear Campaign.

David Ross MacDonald: Independent Professional Engineer, Consultant

His initial career was in the Royal Navy as a weapons engineer, serving in frigates and at the RAE Aberporth where he was involved in missile development and trials.
On leaving the Royal Navy he joined the National Nuclear Corporation. After a year in the technical operations team of the Prototype Fast Reactor at Dounreay, he worked as a systems engineer and team leader in the Fast Reactor design team concerned with operation, safety and systems design. Later he joined the Heysham 2 Nuclear Power Station project team with broad responsibilities for sub system contract assessment and management, the technical interface between the design and construction teams and, ultimately, managing the initial stages of reactor plant commissioning. 
His career then took another turn as the Project Manager for the development of three large defence electronics programmes, all involving international collaboration, with Marconi, Thorn EMI and Racal.

He then formed Hill Path Projects Ltd and continued his involvement with radar development, simulators and civil nuclear power. He produced a concept design and simulator for a Spent Fuel Monitoring System and developed the electricity grid simulation model GRIDMAN which was used as the basis of reports, written jointly with Professor Stephen Bush, and submitted in response to calls for consultation on “Going Green” from National Grid and Ofgem. He presented a similar paper at the IChemE Sustainable Nuclear Energy Conference in April 2014. Together with Professor Bush, he was awarded the IChemE 2011 Hanson Medal for the paper “Squaring the Circle”, published in The Chemical Engineer. This study compared and assessed the energy density of different forms of energy generation and storage. In 2016 he was instrumental in persuading BEIS to provide funding to retrieve and store for future use data on the UK’s historic fast breeder reactor programme.

More recently he has been working with a group of professional engineers, headed by Commander Christopher Lowther and Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, all of whom commenced their careers in the Royal Navy and then pursued successful careers with a wealth of “hands on” and senior management roles up to board level in the civil nuclear power, natural gas, renewable energy, construction and electronics sectors. The grid simulation model GRIDSIM was developed and used as the basis for a practical system based engineering study on “The Case for Civil Nuclear Power in a low Carbon Economy”.

Prof. Reza Ziarati, PhD: Chair, IMechE Midland Region

Professor Dr Reza Ziarati BSc (Bath), PhD (Eng), CertEd, CMarEng, CElecEng, CMechEng, FIMechE, FIET, FIMarEST, CEng. Chairman – C4FF; Coordinator – MarEdu; Director – MariFuture; Vice-Chancellor - BAU UK: Senor Partner - Berkeley House. The UK and Turkish Professorships, Emeritus Professor and visiting/industrial Professor. Government Quality Assessor; BTEC Lead Examiner; IEE accreditor; Awarded national diplomas and prizes; co-developer of many EU funded ‘Best in Europe’ projects.
 
The main area of expertise is Engine Development and Management. Designer of the variable geometry turbocharged diesel engines; involved in the development of high pressure fuel injection and common rail systems. Developer of the Clean Diesel Engine system support by the UK Government, the EU and the industry; involved with the development of first Hybrid Bus and Car in the UK.  Worked in industry and academia and established several universities; involved in several Eureka and EU/UK funded projects. He has been in involved with automotive and marine engine emissions management and control for some 40 years. Contributed to several UK policy papers on clean transport; currently leading the GreenShip project and chairing the IMechE Midland Region and the region’s air quality group.

Steve Sapsford: Managing Director, SCE Ltd

Steve Sapsford joined the automotive consultancy, Ricardo, in 1986 after graduating in Mechanical Engineering from Southampton University and worked in technical roles focusing on analysis and simulation of internal combustion engines and transmission systems.

In 2007, he became the Global Product Group Director for all gasoline engine business and then the Global Market Sector Director for high performance vehicles. In 2014 he became the Business Strategy Director for the Technical Consulting business.

Steve left Ricardo in September 2018 to set up his own consultancy with a focus on future propulsions systems and the role for sustainable fuels in complementing electrification.

He is an Industrial Advisor for Transport at the University of Nottingham and a member of the Industrial Advisory Board (School of Engineering) at the University of Cardiff.  Steve is also the chair of the Powertrain Systems and Fuels Group at the IMechE.

Philippa Oldham: Stakeholder Engagement Director, Advanced Propulsion Centre

A Chartered Engineer with a wealth of experience gain from motorsport, defence, aerospace and policy development. Philippa thrives on working with a wide range of stakeholders from government, industry and academia to create visionary solutions, with the ability to challenge existing silos across the sectors. Her experience allows her to offer oversight into the challenges faced both locally and internationally within the manufacturing and transport realms.

Joining the Advanced Propulsion Centre in January 2018 she uses her experience and knowledge of the UK’s transport modes and infrastructure to support the development of strategies that incubate collaborations. This joining of the dots will help ensure that the UK can develop solutions, and attract the right investment to create, develop and sustain UK supply chains that drive both job creation and exportable products and services to enable the UK to fulfill its net-zero ambition.

Ken Hart: Visiting Fellow - Aerospace Engineering, University of Hertfordshire

Ken is currently a visiting fellow and lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire. Previously he spent 18 years working for Rolls-Royce plc in technical and managerial roles, specialising in the design and analysis of gas turbine engine oil, air and thermal systems and the development of computational analysis methods. This was followed by 23 years at the University of Hertfordshire as a principal lecturer, teaching aircraft performance, propulsion and design, aerodynamics, thermo-fluid dynamics and heat transfer. He has also conducted a number of research and consultancy projects and delivered industrial training courses for leading aerospace companies, primarily in the field of thermo-fluid systems design and analysis.  

His current research focus is the application of alternative propulsion systems and fuels for aircraft.

Ken holds a D.Phil and a degree in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of Sussex. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, chair of the IMechE Transmissions and Associated Systems Committee (TASTAC) and a member of the Aerospace Board.

Dr Tim Fox: Immediate Past Chair, IMechE Process Industries Division

Dr Tim Fox is an internationally recognised expert in climate change mitigation and adaptation with specialist knowledge of clean energy systems, heat impacts and sustainable cooling, the engineering challenges of sea level rise, and sustainable food systems. He has extensive experience in thought leadership, public affairs and policy advocacy and communications and works as an independent consultant operating at the intersection of science-engineering-policy-business-communications. Tim has previously been employed in small and large internationally focused commercial enterprises, government agencies and educational institutions based in the UK, The Netherlands, Canada and Australia.

Dr Fox is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE), where he chairs the Climate Change Adaptation Working Group, is the immediate past Chair of IMechE’s Process Industries Division Board and represents the IMechE on the UK Infrastructure Operators Adaptation Forum (IOAF). He is also a member of the Adaptation to Climate Change Group of BSI Committee SES/001/07 and an Advisory Committee member for the Caribbean Center for Rising Seas. Tim has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers, research reports, IMechE thought leadership reports and policy papers. He was lead author of the IMechE’s seminal 2009 report “Climate Change: Adapting to the Inevitable?” and recently published “Rising Seas: The Engineering Challenge” report.

Dr Charlotte Starkmann: Director, Energise Consultancy

Charlotte has over 20 years of management consultancy experience working with Engineering and Energy companies. She started her career working as a petroleum engineer for Shell and then worked for the big 4 management consultancies before founding Energise Consultancy . Her focus is on delivering business transformation solutions and advising Senior executives on their strategic projects. She is currently very interested in the challenges that the energy transition and net zero bring to companies business model and has recently written a white paper on the organisational challenges that industry faces to deliver the energy transition.

Jeppe Grue: Technical Director, Green Fuels & Thermal Power, COWI

Jeppe has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, the first 10 years in the power industry. He is working with new energy technologies to drive the green transition, being one of Denmark's leading specialists on CCU/power-to-x. Jeppe is currently a project manager and technical lead on several power-to-x and carbon-capture projects. His areas of expertise are electrolysis, power-to-x and carbon capture, and he has an in-depth knowledge and thorough understanding of green fuels, energy systems and sector coupling. Jeppe has worked as a process engineer and chief specialist on increasing the operational efficiency and flexibility of power plants, carbon capture, biomass and coal co-firing, heat pumps, and the optimization of industrial processes.

Sarah Hayes: Climate Resilience Demonstrator (CReDo) Project Lead, National Digital Twin Programme

Sarah is an economist with over 20 years’ experience of working across infrastructure sectors in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. She was the lead author on the National Infrastructure Commission report Data for the Public Good which recommended the development of a National Digital Twin. She is currently leading the National Digital Twin programme’s Climate Resilience Demonstrator project – CReDo.

Channa Karunaratne: Regional Director, Energy Solutions, Sustainable Development Group - UK & Ireland, AECOM

Channa is a leader in the field of decentralised energy and low carbon design. Working extensively with both private and public sector clients he has lead and been involved in the delivery of major net zero infrastructure projects, including the energy network for the Houses of Parliament, Renewable projects for TfL and delivering large scale heat networks for clients across the UK.

Frank Mills BSC(Hons) FCIBSE FIMechE MASHRAE: Chair, IMechE Construction and Building Services Division

Frank is a leading specialist in sustainable and energy efficient building engineering design. His experience includes the design, management, supervision, construction and operation of building services engineering across a range of building types including sports stadia, large-scale mixed-use developments sports facilities, leisure centres and hotels, retail and community schemes - both in the United Kingdom and internationally.

David Shirres: Editor, Rail Engineer

David retired from Network Rail in 2009 after a 38-year railway career that included rolling stock engineering, asset management and infrastructure projects. 

In 2010, he became a writer for Rail Engineer magazine and has been the magazine’s editor since 2016. He has written over 200 features for the magazine including a number on rail decarbonisation. He also writes a regular railway engineering column for Professional Engineering magazine.

David is also actively involved in the IMechE Railway Division in Scotland having been Chair and Secretary of the Division’s Scottish Centre.

Peter Flinn: President, Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Peter Flinn is the 2021/22 President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

He is a chartered engineer who studied mechanical sciences at the University of Cambridge. He also holds an MBA and attended the international senior management programme at Harvard Business School. He has worked mainly in manufacturing industry in the aircraft, rail, commercial vehicle and process industries.

He started his career with the military aircraft division of what is now BAE Systems on projects such as the Anglo-French Jaguar.

He then moved to Leyland DAF Limited, his last position being Quality Director for the UK, having previously held senior positions in product development, research and manufacturing in Leyland and in Scotland.

He joined BREL/ABB in Derby, now part of Alstom’s UK rail business, as Head of Engineering. He was closely involved in the restructuring of the company after ABB took full control, setting up and running the Bodyshell Division of which he was Director, based in York.

Subsequently in ABB, he was MD of ABB Support Ltd and then of ABB Engineering Services/ABB Eutech, a 750-person international technical consultancy, bought from ICI. His role was to integrate this business into ABB, ensure its financial viability and develop its position in the market place.

His most recent industrial role was as MD of Vectra Group Limited, an engineering consultancy specialising in safety work for hazardous industries.

Since 2007, he has worked mainly at the interface between industry, government and academia. In 2014, he completed the start-up of the Aerospace Technology Institute. Prior to that, he helped InnovateUK establish the Catapult programme. During 2009 and 2010, he was the Project Director for the £40.55m Manufacturing Technology Centre built near Coventry. All three organisations are flourishing.

Since withdrawing from active consultancy in 2017, he has written a book entitled Managing Technology & Product Development Programmes, published by John Wiley & Sons in 2019.

He is an active member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, has been chairman of its Manufacturing Industries Division and the main point of contact for TMMX. He was also chairman of the Intelligent Automation centre at Loughborough University between 2012 and 2017.

He is married with two grown up children and five grandchildren. He is active in the local community in Ashbourne and was Captain of Ashbourne Golf Club in 2012.

Marie Williams: CEO, Dream Networks and IMechE Cities, Built Environment COP26 Lead

Marie Williams is a senior product development engineer, social entrepreneur, designer and academic who has adopted co-design principles to collaboratively create contextual solutions to a variety of social and environmental challenges our world faces. A finalist to the Institute of Engineering Female engineer of the year finalist, her playful career has seen her collaboratively create sustainability driven solutions within a range of industries, ranging from aerospace, to nuclear building design, to corporate social responsibility and most importantly play.

In 2016 she launched Dream Networks and began a journey to enable inclusive play4all children through the process of co-design. To date Dream Networks has collaborated with businesses, schools and communities in the UK and East Africa to bring sustainably built and diverse play to over 20,000 children. She is a PhD student at the Bartlett Institute of Global Prosperity, a 2021 exchange scholar at Yale School of Architecture and senior lecturer associate at Bristol University Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

She is an advocate for children and youths right to change the spaces they inhabit through design that prioritises the needs of the community and the environment.

Ava Jones: ESG Marketing, AESSEAL

Ava joined AESSEAL 3 years ago as the Business Assurance Apprentice. Since the completion of her apprenticeship, Ava’s role developed to the Business Assurance Officer primarily focusing on Sustainability and the AES Engineering Group Net Zero plan. 

Recently, Ava has transitioned to the Marketing Department focusing on ESG and acting as the Betterworld.Solutions Coordinator. Within this role, Ava works directly with the Founder and Communications Director to encourage other organisations to adopt an Investment Policy to Prevent Global Warming and make steps towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Ava has an interest in developing her personal and professional knowledge, and in her spare time is completing a BA (Honours) Business Management Degree.

Alex Best: Independent Consultant, Specialist in Aero Gas Turbines, Founder of Alex Best Consulting

Alex has worked in the gas turbine engine industry for over 40 years.  The majority of this time was spent with major engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney Canada.  He has held in a wide variety of technical, managerial and executive roles.  Experience in engine design, development, component refurbishment, customer support, air safety investigation and safety management have given Alex a profound understanding the aero gas turbine engine business.  

Alex Best Consulting was formed in September 2019 to provide clients with independent, expert advice related to gas turbine engine operation and maintenance.
 
Alex holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Glasgow.  He is a Chartered Engineer, Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and Committee Member for the IMechE Eastern Canada Branch.

Iain Flynn: Rail Manager & Engineer, Rational Rail

Iain is a widely experienced rail engineer and manager and Fellow of the Institution. His career spans train builders and maintainers, London Underground and Network Rail and, as an independent consultant, his clients include the Rail Delivery Group and Rail for London Infrastructure Ltd, but here he speaks in a personal capacity. His broad rail experience, in the UK and overseas, as well as extensive work with the IMechE and a range of transport authorities, has convinced him of the ability of rail – if well run and managed as part of an integrated transport system - to play an important role in civilising cities and cleaning up the environment.

Bruce Becker: Project Manager, eni SpA

Bruce is a Petroleum Engineer who has 40 years of experience in the upstream petroleum business, initially in the UK and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea and then Australia, Asia and the Middle East. He has worked for Eni UK for the past 13 years and was recently appointed Project Manager for Eni’s Liverpool Bay CCS project.

Matthew Laskaj: Director, PEM Ltd and Chair, IMechE Scottish Region

Matthew Laskaj is the Chair of IMechE Scottish region and director of Project Engineering Management Ltd, a specialist engineering training consultancy where he delivers training on maintenance optimisation and wind energy among other related topics to organisations throughout the UK.

Paul Chandler: Deputy Director, Net Zero Travel & Transport Team, NHS England & NHS Improvement