Speaker Biographies 2008

Justin Adams - Business Unit Leader for Venturing - BP Alternative Energy

Justin Adams is currently Business Unit Leader for Venturing in BP Alternative Energy (the dedicated cleantech division of the BP Group). In this role he is responsible for investing in early and growth stage cleantech businesses of strategic relevance to the Group. He serves on the Board of a number of the companies within the venture portfolio. His team is also responsible for spinning out and incubating new businesses resulting from BP’s global university partnerships. Mr Adams joined BP plc. in 2003 as Director of Long Term Technology working for the Chief Scientist. He led the development of the Group’s Long Term Technology Strategy laying out a strategic roadmap to 2030 and supported the initial set up of the Hydrogen Energy, biofuels, distributed energy and clean coal businesses.Prior to joining BP Mr Adams was the founder and CEO of High Power Lithium a Swiss company developing next generation battery materials for hybrid electric vehicles in collaboration with Toyota. He was also an advisor to Konarka Technologies, a Massachusetts based start-up, developing next generation solar cells utilising conducting polymers and nanostructured materials. Before this he worked as a consultant with Arthur D. Little, ultimately leading the Advanced Energy Systems practice in Europe, delivering strategic and techno-economic consulting on emerging energy technologies to many of the world’s leading energy majors, and supporting technology start ups develop commercialisation pathways.

Kerry-Ann Adamson - Manager - Fuel Cell Today

Kerry-Ann has over ten years experience in the fuel cell industry and specialises in transport and distributed generation applications for fuel cells. She has worked with both the private and public sector on a variety of fuel cell projects, with a regional focus mainly on North America and the Rest of World region (excluding Europe and Asia). Prior to running Fuel Cell Today Kerry-Ann worked as its Deputy Editor. She has also worked at the Technical University of Berlin and gained a PhD from Imperial College of Science and Technology, London on the socio-economics of fuel cell technology in the transport sector.

Dr Daniel Aklil - Managing Director - Pure Energy^TM Centre

Dr. Aklil is Managing Director of Pure Energy^TM Centre, Chairman of the Institute of Engineering and Technology North Network, Director of the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and Executive Member of the Nordic network for sustainable energy systems in isolated locations. Dr. Aklil has over 10 years experience as a Non-Executive Director to SMEs with principal area of expertise in strategic direction, business planning and strong deployment of financial controls.

Irene Allcroft - Director - Douglas-Westwood Ltd

Irene joined DWL as a Director in 2008 . She has over 20 years international business development and operations experience in the energy sectors, having worked in the US, the Far East, and more recently Qatar. She spent an initial 12 years in the oil and gas industry, primarily providing market analysis and business cases for investment in new technology , products and service lines for major companies. She has spent the last 5 years working with young renewable energy technology companies in the wave, solar, fuel cell and tidal sub-sectors on their business, investment and market entry strategies. During this time she has acted as a strategic adviser to The Carbon Trust on its Low Carbon Technology Business Incubation Programme and has undertaken numerous studies into the markets and barriers for new low carbon /renewable energy technologies for public sector, private sector investors.

Dr Frank Allison - Business Development Manager - Manchester Bobber

Frank started his career in the steel industry, successfully completing a four-year Structural Engineering apprenticeship. After working for a further year as a structural engineer for British Steel Plc, Frank went to university in Sheffield gaining an honours degree in Materials Engineering incorporating a year in the USA as project manager of a team responsible for the development and production of forged super alloy products. This was in both the space and aerospace industries, working closely with customers including NASA and major aircraft manufacturers.

Frank returned to the UK and completed a PhD and postdoctoral position in Materials Science/Physical Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, researching metallic and polymeric nano-biomaterials.

In 2004 Frank joined The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP), with a remit to manage the commercialisation of a portfolio of technologies arising from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science.

Frank has been involved with The Manchester Bobber since conception and is currently seconded into the company to manage all aspects of the commercialisation of the technology.

Colin G Anderson - Consulting Engineer

Originally from Aberdeen, Colin’s involvement in renewables began in 1981 as a postgraduate researcher with the Edinburgh Wave Power project. He moved to the wind energy sector in 1985, working as a design engineer with Howden Wind Turbines in Glasgow, then later as a Research Fellow at Edinburgh University Physics Department. In 1995 Colin was involved in setting up Aerpac UK Ltd, a manufacturer of large wind turbine blades in Fife, where he served as Technical Director until 2001. Since then he has been a self-employed consulting engineer engaged on various wind, wave, and tidal projects. His recent wind energy work has included the Gigha community windfarm in Argyll, and wind turbine installations at Mackies Ice Cream Dairy and Balquhindachy, both in Aberdeenshire.

Virginia Anderson - Corporate Development Manager - Scottish Community Foundation

Virginia joined the Development Team in 2007 as Corporate Development Manager. Originally she was a Grants Officer at the Scottish Community Foundation, having worked previously as a fundraiser for Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland. She came to the not-for-profit sector after ten years of volunteering and is still involved with the boards of two community organisations.

The Scottish Community Foundation is an independent grantmaking charity, matching donors with causes. The Foundation’s vision is of strong successful communities – a Scotland where quality of life is enhanced for all. Since 1996 over £16 million has been awarded to community groups and grassroots charities in every corner of Scotland. The Foundation connects people, ideas and resources to make a lasting difference in Scotland.

The Foundation is currently working with a number of communities and companies across Scotland on their Community Benefit programmes. Details of these are available from www.scottishcf.org

Keith Arbuthnott

Business – ‘Rural land management’ ie diversified estate with farming, forestry, tourism and wood fuel pellet enterprises.  Self-employed.

Place of work:  Arbuthnott Estate, Nr Laurencekirk some 22 miles south of Aberdeen. Lived & worked there since 1976.

Some previous (public) appointments – Member of Grampian health Board 1992-1996,  Chairman, Scottish Rural Property & Business Association 2005-2008

Interests – photography, good food and wine, skiing, family.

Megan Arnold - Account Manager - GE Wind / Chair of the BWEA Offshore Wind Delivery Group

A business practitioner focussing on sustainability in industry studied Social Science in Adelaide, Human Relations and Safety & Occupational Health Management in Sydney Australia. Employment history includes; Business Development for UK renewable energy company, SLP Energy, project co-ordination for Brazilian multi-national, Odebrecht Oil and Gas, campaign development and planning for Greenpeace in Australia and China and retail business management for a cancer charity. She has held directorships for a sporting organisation in Australia and a renewables agency in the UK.

Megan is employed as an Account Manager for GE Energy’s Wind division with responsibilities for sales of GE wind technology in Northern Europe and assisting the global growth of GE Energy projects and developments.

Megan is currently the chair of the British Wind Energy Association’s Offshore Delivery Group.

Duncan Ayling - Head of Offshore - BWEA

Duncan Ayling joined the BWEA in December 2007 to take the position of Head of Offshore responsible for representing the BWEA members’ interests relating to offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. BWEA is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with over 350 corporate members, BWEA is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK.

Prior to BWEA, Duncan worked for AEA Technology as the Monitoring Director for the UK Government’s wave and tidal R&D programme which funds a portfolio of marine renewable energy projects.

Duncan is an experienced project manager with many years of work in marine environmental research. He changed career direction to offshore renewables by returning as a mature student to study a Masters degree in Offshore and Ocean Technology at Cranfield University.

Ben Barton – Offshore Manager (Wind Farms) – The Crown Estate

Ben joined The Crown Estate in September 2006 to take the role of Offshore Wind Farm Manager, with responsibility for delivery of the wind farm sites allocated in UK waters under leasing rounds 1 & 2. Ben is the landowner’s point of contact with the wind industry and manages the process of granting site agreements followed by leases as the projects progress through the development cycle. Ben also represents The Crown Estate at a number of industry, government and stakeholder groups.

Before joining The Crown Estate, Ben worked for npower renewables as an offshore wind developer. In this role he had responsibility for the post-construction environmental monitoring of the North Hoyle offshore wind farm and pre-construction monitoring for the Rhyl Flats project, together with a contribution to the consent applications and EIA preparation for the Gwynt y Môr project. Ben is also an experienced data manager and GIS user, and was responsible for the maintenance of npower’s offshore renewables GIS. Prior to joining npower renewables, Ben was employed by the University of Southampton’s GeoData institute where he worked on a wide range of environmental, energy and educational projects.

John Best - Chief Executive Officer - EEEGR (East of England Energy Group)

Personal / Career History
John joined the Merchant Navy aged 16 and trained as a navigator, traveling the world over the next eight years with Bibby Line, qualifying as a First Officer – Foreign Going. In 1980 he came ashore and set up a business called Odd Job, spending almost a year as a general handyman.

John’s involvement with the offshore oil and gas industry began as a Chartering Clerk with Wimpey Marine at Yarmouth, running supply vessels to offshore rigs. Over the next six years he was promoted to marine manager.

In 1987, John returned to college and studied accountancy. He left college planning to complete his studies while working for a small accountancy practice in Norwich but in 1991 joined Wimpey Waste at Yarmouth, which became UK Waste. During this time he also took the role of Managing Director of the family retail pharmacy, following the sudden death of his father, which was sold after 8 years.

Over the next nine years he rose to become UK general manager for the industrial services division, overseeing 60 staff and a £3.5m annual turnover, with his depot awarded Top in the UK out of 60 locations, on two successive years in the process. The division was closed and John took up a high-profile post as area manager, based at Yarmouth in Norfolk’s Enterprise Partnership, a business-led partnership between Business Link, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Training and Enterprise Council.

EEEGR (East of England Energy Group)
John saw a significant gap in the energy industry – a lack of communication, identity, understanding and co-operation across the various sectors in the eastern region. Yet there was a massive commercial and economic base – not just for the main operators and contractors but for thousands of businesses in the supply chain. So John pioneered the development of East of England Energy Group, now better known as EEEGR, and became its chief executive.

With a small team (of one!), he launched EEEGR in March 2001 and built it into a powerful voice representing and promoting the whole energy sector in the region. His diverse background meant he brought considerable experience.

His single-minded approach means relentless legwork to take him anywhere he feels there is a message to be delivered, communicating with those he knows can influence the industry, and championing the region’s energy skills across the globe.

His persuasion has steered EEEGR membership to 300 – ranging from international giants like Shell, British Energy and EDF Energy to the smallest supply companies. Keeping members on one wavelength is vital and John has created a close-knit community through two major conferences a year, dozens of events which encourage networking, a comprehensive website, a quarterly magazine and regular e-bulletins.

He was instrumental in creating the Skills for Energy group, under the EEEGR umbrella, bringing together industry, education, sector skills councils and training groups to successfully tackle head-on a shortage of young talent. His inventiveness prompted EEEGR’s Mapergy, a single-click web guide that allows companies across a previously disparate industry to locate or trade with each other. And he founded the EEEGR Innovation awards, encouraging members with groundbreaking ideas and inventions.

In 2007 John, nominated by his team, was awarded with the Individual Contribution Award at the Trade Association Forum’s Best Practice Awards for outstanding contribution in the Trade Association Sector.

Additional Business Achievements
He was a founder member of EABEC (East Anglian Business Environment Club - 1993), has served as a crew member on Gorleston lifeboat and is chairman of the east coast’s ( England) number one local radio station The Beach. John is also a trustee of Norwich-based training organisation Petans and “energy champion” for the i10 collaboration of universities and colleges in the East of England.

Chas Booth - Association for the Conservation of Energy; and Friends of the Earth Scotland

Chas Booth joined Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Association for the Conservation of Energy as their Parliamentary officer in October 2005. Prior to that, he worked for Sustrans, the leading sustainable transport charity. He is a graduate of Edinburgh University, where he studied Social Policy and Politics, and has worked in both the Scottish and European parliaments. He lives with his wife Clare in a nineteenth century colony flat in Leith, which is proving quite a challenge to insulate properly.

Dr Elaine Booth - Non Food Crops and Oilseeds Specialist - SAC (Scottish Agricultural College)

Elaine is the Non Food Crops and Oilseeds Specialist at SAC (Scottish Agricultural College).  She has worked on a range of projects studying the agronomic and economic feasibility of non food crop and bio-energy over 19 years of research and consultancy work with SAC. 

Elaine led SAC’s recent studies on the economic evaluation of biodiesel production from oilseed rape grown in N and E Scotland and also a review of the potential for on-farm processing of various non-food crop products for National Non Food Crop Centre.  She co-ordinated SAC’s contribution on a SEERAD funded study recommending actions for Energy from Crops, Timber and Agricultural Residues in Scotland and has undertaken several studies, funded by private companies and also by UNIDO to determine the feasibility of biofuel and appropriate feedstock in Ireland, Azerbaijan and Albania.  Recent work has also considered an Environmental Impact Assessment for biodiesel in Ukraine and a current study is considering engagement of customers for sustainably produced Scottish biodiesel. 

Elaine manages SAC oilseed's trials for variety testing and agronomy and she also runs trials for plant breeders testing disease resistance, new varieties and crop types.  She co-ordinates the North UK Oilseeds Consultative Committee which provides recommendations on appropriate varieties for the North.  Part of Elaine's role is to give advice to farmers and rural businesses on oilseeds varieties, agronomy, bioenergy and non-food uses.  

Elaine is an agriculture graduate of Aberdeen University.   Aside from SAC, she is general partner of her family's farming business based near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire and is a Board member of the SEPA North Region Board.

Sarah Boyack MSP

Sarah Boyack has represented Edinburgh Central constituency in the Scottish Parliament since 1999 having been re-elected in 2003 and 2007. She is also Scottish Labour's spokesperson on the Environment, Rural Affairs and Climate Change.

Sarah was born in May 1961 in Glasgow, but brought up in Edinburgh where she was amongst the first female entrants at Royal High School.

She went on to study at Glasgow University gaining an MA Hons. in Modern History and Politics and then a Diploma in Town and Country Planning at Heriot Watt University.

Then followed the post of Planning Assistant with London Borough of Brent (1986-88), returning to Scotland for the post Senior Planning Officer with Central Regional Council (1988-92). From 1992 to 1999 Sarah was a Lecturer in Planning at Edinburgh College of Art/ Heriot Watt University.

Sarah was appointed by Donald Dewar to the first Scottish Cabinet as Minister for Transport, Environment and Planning serving from May 1999 to November 2001 during which time she introduced free bus travel for elderly and disabled people in Scotland and improved energy efficiency standards for social housing. In the first session of the Scottish Parliament she also sat on the European and Audit Committees.

Between May 2003 and January 2007 she served as Convener of the Environment & Rural Development Committee where among other things she chaired its Inquires into the Food Chain, Biomass and Climate Change before being appointed Deputy Minister for the Environment & Rural Development serving until May 2007. She also sits on the Labour Party's Scottish Policy Forum.

In November 2004 she received the RSPB Goldcrest Award for the greatest contribution to the development of environmental policy since devolution and in December 2005 was named the Scottish Renewables Best Politician

Charles Bradshaw-Smith - Head of Innovation - E.ON Engineering

Charles has spent the last 6 years in the energy sector leading change management programmes of a strategic nature, including customer-led marketing, value-based management, and now technology commercialisation (current focus being microgeneration and marine). As the energy supply representative of the UK Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Homes task group, Charles has recently been recommending changes to UK Government’s definition of Code for Sustainable Homes. Prior to his time in the energy sector, Charles ran his own business providing IT change management to blue chip companies and floated a business on AIM. He has also worked with NGOs on environmental campaigns.

Chris Brett - Hydro Manager – Inter Hydro Technology

Chris Brett has been a Hydro Engineer since 1994, including six years as Hydro Sales Manager with Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd. He is responsible for providing mechanical and electrical engineering input to projects being studied and managed by Inter Hydro Technology / R G Parkins & Partners Ltd. Chris has a wealth of experience in small hydro gained from travelling world wide specifying appropriate solutions to project developers and providing input to economic analysis of small hydro projects.

James Brown - Skills Director Scotland -Energy & Utility Skills

James Brown was born in Dundee Scotland and now lives in Perth with his wife and two children. James started his career as a Vehicle Technician with Scottish Gas in 1981 and later moved into the Further Education field, working at, Perth College, Stevenson College and Elmwood College. His role here also involved working with various stakeholder including the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) and City and Guilds, the role also included employer engagement with involvement in various skills competitions

In 2000 he moved to MITC, the automotive National Training Organisation, which later became a Sector Skills Council working as the National Manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In April 2007 James joined Energy & Utility Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the electricity, gas, water and waste management industries - also the lead Sector Skills Council for Renewables. Using his past experience of employer and stakeholder engagement he now works with major utility organisations and the contractor base to understand and assist with their skills needs.

Adam Bruce - Head of Sustainable Development - Scottish and Southern Energy

Adam Bruce is Head of Sustainable Development at Scottish and Southern Energy. Until Airtricity's acquisition by SSE in early 2008, he was that company's UK Chief Executive. He was elected to the board of the BWEA in May 2007, and was appointed Chairman the following month. Adam qualified as a solicitor in 1993, and practised in London, Brussels, Edinburgh and St. Andrews. From 1998 to 2006 he was Director of McGrigors Public Policy, the UK law firm's regulatory and public affairs practice. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and son. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, a member of the Executive Committee of the SCDI, a Trustee of the Policy Institute, and a Writer to the Signet.

Ken Bruder - Head of Global Business Development - New Energy Finance

Ken is Director and Head of Business Development for New Energy Finance and New Carbon Finance.   He oversees the deployment of a full suite of research and data services for investors in clean energy technologies and the carbon markets.  

Ken brings to his work at NEF nearly 20 years of consulting experience in the financial services, energy and technology sectors. Previously he was Senior Director for the Financial Service Practice of the Corporate Executive Board, where he also served as Practice Manager for research in the financial services sector. Prior to this, Ken was Senior Vice President for Kaiser Associates where he specialised in benchmarking and competitive analysis in the energy, manufacturing and technology sectors.

In his earlier life, Ken served as a submarine-qualified officer aboard nuclear submarines after which he served on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon.

Ken has an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He graduated with honors from Colby College in the US with majors in Chemistry and Economics and was selected as a Senior Scholar for his work in emissions regulations. He is also a graduate (with honors) of the US Naval War College.

Bill Bryce - Director - Nuclear Industry Association, Director - Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd

Bill graduated from Glasgow University with BSc and MSc in aeronautical engineering. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He has spent all of his working life in the power business mainly as a Director in Doosan Babcock. In his early years he was responsible for the Company’s Research & Development, but for almost 20 years was the Company’s Director of Nuclear Business and is retained by Doosan Babcock on nuclear matters, particularly on strategy for new build.

He was heavily involved in the major contribution that Doosan Babcock made to Sizewell B and the lessons to be learned from that project.

Bill has been a Director of the UK Nuclear Industry Association for many years serving on working groups and committees to promote nuclear energy and to ensure that the views of contractors, large and small, are heard. He served as Interim Chairman prior to Lord O’Neill becoming Chairman. He currently chairs the NIA New Build Working Group which has examined the capability of British industry to deliver a nuclear new build programme. He continues to address the issues surrounding new build and promoting UK industry.

John Buckley - Trade Promoter - BERR's Renewable Energy Trade Promotion Service

John Buckley is the Trade Promoter with BERR's Renewable Energy Trade Promotion Service.    With a background in the international energy industry, he works with UK companies in the Renewable Energy sector that are expanding their businesses in the UK and overseas.

 

David Cameron - Chief Technical Officer - Scottish Renewables

David Cameron is Chief Technical Officer at Scottish Renewables, a post he took up part way through studying and MSc in Renewable Energy at the University of Dundee. David’s previous life was spent mainly in vehicle development at Nissan – working on - dare we say - sports cars and 4x4s. His interest in renewables was fired up on reading about the Fyne Homes development Chrannag on the island of Bute. David sees renewables not just as away to positively contribute to climate change but in supporting security of energy supply and industry expansion.

Jeremy Carnell - Senior Health & Safety Consultant - PMSS

Alison Cavey - Partner - Orion Innovations LLP

Alison is a founder member of Orion Innovations, a specialist consultancy that provides strategic and operational support to new ventures and growth-phase businesses with a particular emphasis on the clean energy and environmental sectors. Orion Innovations offers a broad range of services that help businesses to define their critical paths during the early stages of development and provide practical support as they grow.

Alison is an environmental engineer by training and has 15 years of technology, strategic and business experience gained in both consulting and industry. She has consultancy experience with four of the largest management and engineering consulting groups in the UK where she worked globally for national governments, IFIs and Fortune 500 companies.

In 2000, Alison was part of the founding team of a new energy technology company and spent three years developing and expanding its strategic, commercial and operational capabilities. Since forming Orion in 2004, Alison has gained significant practical experience of other new venture start-ups in the low carbon and environmental sector and has been actively involved in a number of new businesses, including acting as Interim Managing Director for an environmental technology spin-out for a leading UK University. She has worked with a number of organisations in the low carbon sector providing strategic and commercialisation support to new ventures. These include the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Programme and the Scottish Enterprise Energy Technology Centre. She has also worked widely with public sector organisations in the development of regional initiatives relating to the commercialisation of new energy technologies.

Alison has a BSc (Hons) Natural Environmental Science (1st Class) from Sheffield University and an MSc in Water Pollution Control Technology from Cranfield University.

Julian Chafer FRICS - Head of Safeguarding - Defence Estates

After spending four highly educational years at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth and two highly enlightening years at the Royal Agricultural College Julian joined the MOD in 1990 and in 1992 became a qualified rural practice chartered surveyor. Soon afterwards he abandoned the Hunter-wellies-and-chocolate-labrador lifestyle and looked for other opportunities in the MOD.

In the years which followed Julian has been involved in a wide range of MOD estate work including being property manager of former RAF Greenham Common; selling the old Admiralty Compass Observatory at Ditton Park near Slough; and negotiating leases in overseas locations including Naples, Nairobi, Kathmandu, and Moscow (it was a tough job but someone had to do it!).

As Defence Estates’ Head of Safeguarding Julian has overall responsibility for protecting MOD establishments across the UK and offshore areas used for training, exercises etc. This includes statutory safeguarding around certain specified sites as well as wind energy safeguarding across the whole country.

Dr David Clarke - Chief Executive - Energy Technologies Institute

Dr David Clarke joined the Energy Technologies Institute as Chief Executive in January 2008 from his previous role as Head of Technology Strategy at Rolls-Royce plc.

David has been involved in collaborative research and development of advanced technologies for over 20 years, leading a range of research groups including Rolls-Royce’s Advanced Materials development activities and its corporate Strategic Research Centre. With the latter group he led Rolls-Royce’s evaluation and development of new technology opportunities in fields as diverse as fuel cells, electrical propulsion technologies and advanced computational diagnostics. At Rolls-Royce, he was responsible for development and management of the Company’s global research strategy. This included the company’s multi-million pound University-based research programme at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centres in the UK, North America, mainland Europe and Asia.

He has been a member of the EPSRC Council and is a member of the North West Science Council. David graduated from the University of Surrey in 1984 with a BSc in Materials Technology, and subsequently completed his PhD in Composite Materials at the University of Surrey in 1988. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials and a Chartered Engineer. www.energytechnologies.co.uk

Roger Coppock - Policy Advisor, Business Development - Forestry Commission Scotland

Roger is a forester with 28 years experience in the industry. He heads up Forestry Commission Scotland’s business development policy team. He was the Secretary of the Wood Fuel Task Force, which reported to the Minister for the Environment in January this year. Formerly, he was Forestry Advisor to The Scottish Forest Industries Cluster. The Cluster has worked with companies and individuals of all sizes across Scotland to stimulate development within the industry, and in downstream utilisation including bioenergy. Prior to working with the cluster team, he was in charge of production forecasting with Forest Enterprise (FE) the then operational arm of the GB Forestry Commission, and was part of the team which designed and built the multi-award winning Forester GIS. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, and is a member of the Institute’s Council.

Ian Cowe – Biomass Development Officer – Forestry Commission Scotland

Ian recently joined Forestry Commission Scotland as the Biomass Development Officer. His post has been created to promote and support the use of woodfuel in Aberdeen City and Shire. Aberdeenshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and Forestry Commission Scotland are funding partners in the new post.

Ian has come with an extensive experience of supporting biomass installations through Forestry Commission Wales’ Wood Energy Business Scheme. Specialising in woodfuel production and supply, Ian was previously working to improve techniques of wood chip production/drying and methods of yielding woodfuel from forest harvesting residues.

For more information please contact the Grampian Conservancy office, Forestry Commission Scotland, on 01466 794542 or visit www.forestry .gov.uk and www.usewoodf uel.co.uk.

Jeremy Cresswell - Editor 'Energy' and Chairman of AREG

Originally studied law (Law Society England & Wales - College of Law, Braboeuf Manor, Guildford) but dropped that ambition in favour of 12+ years in fishery development and commercial fisheries/light marine contracting. In particular, was a member of the White Fish Authority, later Gwynedd Oysters/Seed Oysters UK team that in the late 1960s/early 1970s developed the hatchery-based system for the commercial farming of oysters that became the standard for Europe.

Established, in parallel in 1975, fishing/light marine contracting business Venture Cresswell. Skipper/owner of various fishing vessels to 53ft.

Researched the fishing vessel construction capability of Scotland in 1984, work that was at the time adopted by the then Scottish Development Agency. Retains long-standing interest in maritime history, especially fisheries and has written on the subject since 1973, plus has extensive phot-archive.

Since 1985 has worked primarily as an award-winning energy/maritime affairs journalist/editor/analyst, mainly for the Scottish newspaper The Press & Journal, but contributing to many other business and energy-oriented titles. Is a past editor of World Fishing and first editor of Scottish Fishing Weekly.

Is founder and current editor of The Press & Journal Energy Monthly supplement.

Author/co-author of a variety of reports and publications, including Scottish Enterprise energy annuals 1997 through 2001 and extensive collaboration with economists Mackay Consultants.

Author of Black Gold and the Silver City – a history of the Balmoral Group/diary of North Sea oil

Author of Tide and Time, history of the George Craig Group

Author of Conversations with North Sea Moguls … published Sep 2005

Co-author of various Mackay Consultants economic reports such as: World Offshore Oil & Gas Report – 2004-2008; Mediterranean & Black Sea Oil & Gas Report 2004-2008; and Study on the Impact of Climate Change Policies on National Oil Companies – 2007.

Became an Associate of Mackay Consultants 2007

Co-author of three 3i Thought Leadership papers on energy

Joint author of paper: Managerial Perceptions of the Business Environment within the Energy Service Industry: Cross-National Comparisons of China, Singapore and Malaysia. Publication imminent

Chaired many conferences and seminars; including Baird maritime conferences in Australia, Singapore and Italy (also presented market analyses of Offshore Support Vessel markets at said events); Subsea UK events; member of steering committee for the 2004 LOGIC North Sea supply chain conference

A customer of Aberdeen Business School - The Robert Gordon University … early/mid 1980s for a Post-graduate Diploma in Management (DMS), then mid 1990s to read for an MBA

Carried out ground breaking MBA research at Aberdeen Business School during the mid 1990s into the potential impact of offshore oil and gas on the Faroese business community.

Responsible for drawing together an influential group of public and private sector Aberdeen business community leaders late 1999 leadning to creation of the successful Scotland Energy Opportunities Conference series, no known as All-Energy.

Chairman of the Aberdeen City Council-initiated private-public partnership … Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, which has an ambitious long-term agenda mapped out, including the imaginative Energy Futures Centre for Aberdeen, construction of a windfarm offshore Aberdeen and founding of a joint-Chair in Renewables between The Robert Gordon and Aberdeen Universities

Director of Aberdeen Bay Windfarm Development Company

In 2001 Co-opted onto the Scottish Enterprise Grampian working party that drew up the successful North-east bid for Scotland’s new Energy Intermediate Technology Institute based in Aberdeen

In 2006 co-opted onto the Scotland bid for the UK-Energy Technology Institute bid, a process that is ongoing

In 2006 appointed as a non-executive director of The Robert Gordon University spin-out company UVPS

On management committee of the Institute of Energy (ex IP) Aberdeen branch

Made a Burgess of the City of Aberdeen – December 2005

Neil Daly – Director – Hamilton Consultants

Neil Daly is a Director of Hamilton Consultants, one of the UK’s leading recruitment consultancies specialising in the renewable energy industry.

Neil has more than 10 years recruitment experience in the utilities industry having worked for clients in the energy, nuclear and water industries worldwide. Neil focuses on assignments across the renewable energy sector handling Board level and other senior appointments.

Neil’s early career began in the BBC where he worked as a news journalist for both TV and radio. He has a Masters degree in Philosophy and Theology from Glasgow University.

Glen B. Darou B.Com CA - President and CEO - Clean Current Power Systems Incorporated, Vancouver, BC

Since 2003 Glen Darou has been the President and CEO of a Vancouver based Canadian controlled private company whose team of engineers has invented, developed and tested a turbine generator that efficiently produces electricity from tidal currents. His business and financial experience includes 16 years senior executive experience with two major international resource sector corporations. As Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Shell Canada Limited and later as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Cominco Ltd., he directed the overall financial affairs of these companies. He is experienced in leading, training and developing multifunctional teams.

Glen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carlton University and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia.

Glen has a continuing interest in business education. He has served as a Director of Junior Achievement of Canada and Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta. He also served on the Management Advisory Council of the business faculty of the University of Calgary (now the Haskayne School of Business) and on Faculty Advisory Board of the University of British Columbia (now the Sauder School of Business). Glen’s association with the University of British Columba led to his appointment as Executive in Residence at the Sauder School of Business.

Born in Perth, Ontario his career has taken him to Ottawa, Toronto, London England, Calgary and finally to Vancouver. Glen is married to Louise, and has three adult children and two grandchildren.

Eric Dodd - Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company

Eric has been working in the Community Sector for 6 years across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland through the HIE Community Energy Unit and Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company. He has seen a massive growth in communities interested in developing their own community energy projects and has taken great pleasure in assisting to develop this important sector of renewables. Eric has come from a background of electricity having worked in the commercial side for both SHE and ScottishPower along with a two year period working in the Electricity industry in New Zealand.

Ian Draisey - Director - Dulas

Dulas is one of the UK’s leading independent renewable energy companies, working both in the UK and overseas to the highest quality and ethical standards. In 1982 Dulas began designing and producing solar powered vaccine and blood storage fridges for use in Africa (this remains a significant part of business today). Today, Dulas’ services range from environmental impact assessment and planning consultancy for large developments to electronic and electrical engineering, project management and system specification for custom installations. Dulas also provide a range of renewable energy products, services and training.

As part of this renowned Wales based renewable energy company, Ian Draisey takes overall responsibility for marketing activities and sits on the board of directors for this forward thinking worker-owned cooperative. He is passionate about renewable energy and carbon reduction and has years of hands-on experience dealing with renewable energy installation projects. Following a career lecturing in International Marketing and Industrial Studies, Ian is now responsible for business strategy, company vision and departmental marketing initiatives at Dulas. Ian trained in Birmingham, working in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter supporting SME’s in the take up of new information technology, following his degree in Industrial Information Technology.

Ian also heads up The Low Carbon Partnership, a consortium which is a framework supplier for the DTI’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme phase two. The Low Carbon Partnership (TLCP) is a consortium of the UK’s leading providers of solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, and small-scale wind systems. The Consortium is led by Dulas Ltd, in partnership with Sundog Energy Ltd. The partnership brings a wealth of experience in renewable energy to the Low Carbon Buildings Phase 2 program. TLCP has a huge depth of knowledge; the partners have approaching 50 years combined experience, over 1400 PV and wind installations and over 6000 solar thermal installations. The expertise within the consortium is second to none; each company, in its own right, has an excellent reputation for quality, safety and competitiveness.

Margriet Drouillon - Technology Developer - Ghent University

Dr. ir. Margriet Drouillon is technology developer at Ghent University for the expertise domain of biobased products and biofuels. She is the responsible for the build-up of strategic patent portfolios and for business development in this domain. As part of this function, she also is liaised with Ghent Bio-Energy Valley.

Ghent Bio-Energy Valley is a Public Private Partnership supporting the development of sustainable bio-energy activities and resulting economic growth in the region of Ghent, Belgium. Ghent Bio-Energy Valley is a joint initiative of Ghent University, the city of Ghent, the Port of Ghent, the Development Agency East-Flanders and a number of industrial companies related to the Ghent region that are active in the fields of bio-energy generation, distribution, storage and use.

Ghent Bio-Energy Valley is a leading European initiative for the development of the bio-based economy of the future. Ghent Bio-Energy Valley promotes the development of the bio-based economy through collaborative programs, joint initiatives and synergy creation between the partners in the fields of Research & Development, structural measures and policy, logistics and communication towards the general public.

Clive Dyson – Chief Executive, St. Andrews Fuel Cells Ltd and Managing Director, Clarizon Ltd

Clive Dyson is currently managing two start-up companies that are commercialising innovative solid oxide fuel cell and electrochemical ozone generation technologies.

He has over 20 years’ experience of technology commercialisation and business development in the semiconductor, electrochemistry and other high-technology industries. He has successfully taken more than 10 hardware, software and consultancy products to market.

Previously he was Technical Director at GEC Plessey Semiconductors’ CMOS fab in Plymouth and subsequently managed its ASIC business unit. In 1997 he established the National Microelectronics Institute for the UK semiconductor industry and developed it into a valued industry body. Since 2003 he has led early stage technology companies and carried out consultancy on product introduction, marketing and commercialisation for corporate clients. This has included the spin out of a bioinformatics company which recently listed on AIM.

Clive has advised the EPSRC on manufacturing strategy, a range of government agencies on education and training for technology industries and negotiated a Climate Change Agreement for the UK semiconductor and electronics industry.

He has a Natural Science degree from Cambridge University (UK), a PhD from Southampton University and an Executive MBA from Bath University. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the IET.

Arnaud Été - Renewable Energy Associate - SgurrEnergy Ltd

• Engineering studies in France (Ecole des Mines de Nancy) until 2005
• MSc at the University of Strathclyde “Energy Systems and the Environment”
• I have then been offered a KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) Associate position: partnership between the University of Strathclyde and SgurrEnergy. This project started in October 2006 and finishes in 4 months. My presentation at the H208 describes the work achieved during this project.

Tim Evans - Managing Director - Renewable Zukunft Ltd & Bio-G Biogastechnik GmbH

Following agricultural college, Tim Evans trained as an accountant before joining Bidwells in Cambridge as an agribusiness consultant. He later joined the Lloyds Bank Group, based in South West England as an agricultural finance specialist before moving with his family to former East Germany in 1989 following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

During almost 15 years in Germany he developed a 3,000ha arable farming and contracting business along with two 250 cow dairy units and a grain storage business and began to take an interest in the principals of Renewable Energy production and sustainable farming techniques.

Tim was particularly impressed by the general level of public awareness and interest for environmental issues in Germany and with the growing demand for alternative energy sources, he became involved in the management team of the first Biodiesel plant to be built in East Germany. The plant was commissioned in 1998 and Tim moved on to work on one of the first East European Biogas plants to be run on cattle manure and energy crops.

Since returning to the UK, Tim has become a leading protagonist of Renewable Energy in the UK and is a regular contributor at conferences and in the press. He has become a strong advocate of decentralised Renewable Energy production and represents the Austrian based, European Centre for Renewable Energy at events in the UK.

In 2006, working with 6 fellow farmers and entrepreneurs, Tim formed the UK based specialist Renewable Energy Company “Renewable Zukunft”.

Renewable Zukunft specialises in sourcing, supplying, facilitating and operating Renewable Energy systems primarily from Germany & Austria. The company offers a range of solutions for heat and electricity generation using state of the art plant oil and biogas technology, solar heating, cooling and photovoltaics.

In 2007, Renewable Zukunft joined forces with Okoenergie Utzenaich GmbH forming “Bio-G Biogastechnik GmbH” to develop and market the award winning “Energy Ring” biogas system which Tim and his colleagues now operate in the UK.

Dr J Mike Farley - Director of Technology Policy Liaison - Doosan Babcock Energy Limited

Dr Farley has worked with Doosan Babcock and its predecessors since 1974, initially within the Research & Development Department and later in the Technology Centre, becoming Director of Technology in 1998 and Director of Technology Policy Liaison in 2002.

Dr Farley represents the company on the Advanced Power Generation Technology Forum and is a member of the Government’s Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technology. (Both these groups were very active in the preparation of the UK government’s Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy for Fossil Fuel Power Generation.)

He is a member of the recently formed Coal Forum , the Energy Research Partnership , the UK Trade Investment’s Power Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) and, in Scotland , Chairman of the Industrial and Power Association (IPA). He is Chairman of the TUC/DTI/DEFRA Task Group on Clean Coal , and represents the company on the Technical Committee of the European Power Plant Suppliers’ Association and the Advisory Committee of the European Technology Platform for Zero-Emissions Fossil Fuel Power Plant.

Dave Farrier - Director - British Wind Energy Association

Through his role as a Director of the British Wind Energy Association, Dave works with representatives of organisations having interests in wind, wave and tidal projects to promote higher standards of health and safety across these renewable sectors. As chair of the BWEA Health and Safety Steering Group, Dave has been successful in raising the profile of H&S at a time when the volume of UK activity has been increasing, and ambitious future growth predictions are being targeted.

Dave, who now heads the business Improvement function of E.ON Climate and Renewables in the UK, has extensive experience in the development of onshore and offshore wind farm schemes, having led the project development activities of E.ON (formally PowerGen) for a number of years.

He is a mechanical engineer by training, with a diploma in accounting and finance, who moved into the renewables scene in 1994 following career experience across a range of other power generation technologies including nuclear, fossil and hydro.

John Ferguson - Waste and Resources Strategy Manager, SEPA

John Ferguson works for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency managing the Waste and Resources Strategy Unit. John’s ideas were a major influence in the development of the National Waste Strategy in Scotland.

A graduate in biochemistry of the University of St. Andrews he first became involved in waste management in 1990 working as a Recycling Officer in Perth. At that time he was an advisor on recycling to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Through his work with Perthshire he developed a growing interest in the management of wastes as a resource. He passionately believes that the emphasis requires a fundamental change from waste management to resource management believing that in the future, progressive economies will be those that are resource as well as fiscally efficient

John was a founder member of the Recycling Advisory Group Scotland, as well as playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the first REMADE group in UK. He is an accredited programme manager and holds the Cambridge University Programme for Industry Diploma in Cross Sectoral Partnership Development for Sustainable Development. He is a member of the Scottish Centre Council for the Institute of Wastes Management and is a Chartered Environmentalist. He also sits on the Network of European Environment Protection Agencies Special Interest Group on the emerging Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Sustainable Consumption and Production agendas.

He believes that it is only by partnership working and bringing together all interested parties and expertise that Scotland’s waste industry can be made fit for the 21^st Century and wants to see Scotland being a European leader rather than follower in resource management.

Richard Ford – UK Grid Connections Manager – Renewable Energy Systems

Richard is a Chartered Engineer with over 20 years experience in the electricity industry.  In a unique career he has been involved in all aspects of grid issues working for network companies, suppliers, generators, regulators, trade associations and renewable developers.  An authority on grid Integration issues he has presented at major conferences across Europe and was the first proponent of the “connect and manage” approach for the connection of generation.

Nick Forrest - Nick Forrest Associates Ltd

Nick Forrest is a former financial journalist and environmental consultant, whose MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems from Edinburgh University led to his current role as a renewable energy advisor.

His company delivers hydro and wind feasibility studies for rural businesses and households. Nick’s unique surveying model identifies all financially viable sites within a catchment where hydro schemes could be installed. He is currently undertaking a survey of the whole of Scotland using his unique programme – “HELP” (Hydro Electric Location and Planning) for the Scottish Government. Nick is a member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

Ian Gallett - Chief Executive - Society for Underwater Technology

Ian Gallett is the Chief Executive of the Society for Underwater Technology, an international learned society dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge and ideas in all aspects of subsea technology. After gaining a degree in Physics and conducting research into electromagnetic propagation, he joined the Royal Navy in 1973 where he became a metocean specialist. His main concerns were in operational oceanography and acoustics, particularly the effects of the ocean environment on long range passive sonar detection. Before leaving the Navy in 1996 with the rank of Commander, he was responsible for setting Royal Navy policy in the collection and use of oceanographic data, and their application in acoustic modelling. He has been with the Society for 12 years.

Dr Rupert Gammon – Director - Bryte Energy

Dr Rupert Gammon is a director of Bryte Energy, which is a consultancy that designs, implements and operates integrated hydrogen and renewable energy systems as well as carrying out strategic studies for low-carbon energy technologies. Rupert is Chair of the British Midlands Hydrogen Forum, a director of the UK Hydrogen Association and participates in expert panels for Tasks 18 & 24 of the International Energy Agency’s Hydrogen implementation Agreement. He serves on the London Hydrogen Partnership’s Infrastructure & Renewables working group and is also a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Renewables Energy Systems Technology at Loughborough University.

Rupert co-founded Bryte Energy in 2005 with two colleagues with whom he had worked during their PhD studies at the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) at Loughborough University, where he had formerly gained an MSc in Renewable Energy Systems Technology. The team had worked on the Hydrogen and Renewables Integration (HARI) project, which was conceived by Rupert and was the first of its kind in the UK. He had previously worked as a freelance consultant, partly in the field of sustainable energy, but more predominantly in the oil, gas and mineral exploration industries. Before that, Rupert worked for an architectural consultancy, having gained his first degree in 3D Industrial Design (Eng) at Leeds Polytechnic.

Brian Garner - Assistant Director - Ernst & Young

Brian is a Transaction Tax Assistant Director with over 31 years tax experience, the last 16 years spent focusing on Transaction and Renewable Energy Tax work.  He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

He specialises in dealing with renewable energy projects and related corporate finance transactions such as fund raising, disposals and purchases. 

He has prepared papers for the ETSU on behalf of the DTI in relation to the tax issues facing this sector, including tax aspects of lease finance, the concept of long life asset treatment for capital allowances and a review of the tax treatment for offshore wind farms and has written articles for various magazines on the taxation of renewable energy projects.

Ross Gazey - Engineering Director - Pure Energy Centre

Ross is the Engineering Director of the Pure Energy Centre and is responsible for the technical delivery for all the projects at the Pure Energy Centre. He is also a Member of the Executive committee for the Shetland Renewable Energy Forum and has over seven years experience in renewable and hydrogen technologies.

Roger Gill - Commercial Director - ITI Energy

Roger Gill joined ITI Energy in April 2006 as Commercial Director.

Roger’s energy experience extends from the well (Schlumberger) to the wall socket (Midlands Electricity) and includes founding a gas company in the early ‘90s.

His commercial experience covers international M&A and corporate strategy in defence and electronics, as well as several years of private equity and venture capital with Barings and more latterly NESTA. He has lived and worked in several countries on three continents.

Roger has a first class BA in Humanities, a BSc in Physics and an MSc in the History and Philosophy of Science. His MBA is from IMD.

Dr Mary Gillie - EA Technology Limited

Dr Mary Gillie has been involved in energy systems since she modelled and designed a control system for a wind farm and a controllable generator for her PhD. Since then she has worked at EA echnology in the New Energy Technologies Team developing active network management for electricity systems, microgeneration, hydrogen and fuel cells. She is the UK representative for the IEA Hydrogen implementing Agreement Task 18.

Dietmar Gosch - Head of Offshore Sales - REpower Systems AG

Dietmar is a trained Physics Engineer and a graduate of the University of Applied Sciences in Lübeck/Germany. He also obtained a certification in postgraduate studies in Marketing Management at the University of Cape Town/South Africa.

His work experience background is in development of engineered systems, product management and international sales.

He joined the wind industry in 2000 and gained experience in the field of international and domestic sales of wind turbines and in wind farm planning. He started as Offshore Manager with REpower Systems AG in July 2003, negotiated the supply contract of 2 REpower 5M wind turbines for the Beatrice Windfarm Demonstrator with Talisman / SSE. Afterwards he took over the project management on this first of REpower's offshore projects.

Since beginning of last year Dietmar is leading the Sales and Distribution Department of the REpower Offshore Business Unit.

Stuart Graham - Engineering Director - ReGenTech Ltd

Stuart Graham is the Engineering Director and one of the founders of ReGenTech Ltd in Aberdeen the company responsible for the design, installation and commissioning of the BHA Eco 5 house. As a graduate Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Aberdeen University he has become one of Scotland's leading hydrogen and fuel cell engineers in Scotland. Stuart was principal design engineer at siGEN prior to joining ReGenTech and was intimately involved with most of siGEN's groundbreaking hydrogen and fuel cell projects. Stuart has led and was the principal architect on the the BHA Eco-5 heating, hydrogen and renewable energy systems design, assembly, installation and commissioning.

Elaine Greig - Senior Project Manager - AMEC Wind Energy

Elaine Greig is currently leading AMEC Wind Energy's (AWE) Edinbane project on the Isle of Skye, following The Highland Council's successful defence of the project under Judicial Review. Elaine has previously managed projects in Scotland at various stages of development, from initial discussions to application, to post-consent and during sale. Elaine Greig was AWE’s Grid Connections Manager and Electrical Engineer from 2001 until recently. Elaine joined AWE from consultancy. She has degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Durham Business School.

John Griffiths - Technical Director - EMEC

John is a chemical engineer, with forty-one years experience as a General Manager; Consultant, Project Manager & Engineering Manager as well as in a range of Operational and Technical roles in: Marine Renewable energy, Oil & Gas Facilities – Design, Operational & Project Management, Contracting (Engineering and Construction on and offshore) and Consultancy & Studies. John is a non-Executive Director of EMEC and executes contract roles relating to development of Management Systems, leadership of the Standards Project and some site development activity.

Key positions: Principal of JWG Consulting Ltd (1999-present); Director Business Development AMEC – London (1995-97); Director of Engineering and Computing at AMEC -London (1992-95); Chief Production Engineer, British Gas E&P Companies (1983-86)

Dermot Grimson - Head of UK Government Relations - Shell International

Dermot was appointed Head of UK Government Relations in January 2007. He is responsible for managing relations with the UK Government and external stakeholders such as NGOs and think tanks. He represents Shell on a number of external organisations.

Born in Glasgow, Dermot joined Shell in 1999, initially working at the Fife NGL Plant at Mossmorran. From 2001 to 2004, he was responsible for stakeholder relations at Shell’s exploration and production business in Europe. In 2004 he was appointed Head of UK External Affairs. Dermot is an urban planner and has worked in the private, public and NGO sectors in this capacity prior to joining Shell in 1999.

Gareth Harrison - Senior Lecturer - School of Engineering & Electronics, University of Edinburgh

Dr Gareth Harrison is a Senior Lecturer in Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh.

His research activity spans a wide range of disciplines which include climate change impacts on electricity systems; renewable energy generation and electricity network planning; security assessments of gas and electricity network interdependence, power system economics and carbon footprints of renewable technologies. He is deputy Director for an MSc programme in Sustainable Energy Systems, teaches on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and is the academic lead on the Royal Academy of Engineering interdisciplinary course on hydropower design.

Dr Harrison is a Chartered Engineer, a member of both the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and is an Affiliate of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Mike Hay - Technology Acceleration Manager - The Carbon Trust

Mike joined the Carbon Trust to head up their new offshore wind technology acceleration programme in November 2007. In this role he is responsible for delivering large scale projects in areas where accelerated innovation could have a material impact on reducing the cost of energy. Previous to this he spent four years at BWEA, latterly as Head of Offshore Renewables with overall responsibility for the Associations work on offshore wind, wave and tidal stream energy. During this time he oversaw lobbying activity on future rounds for offshore wind, financial support for wave and tidal stream and many other aspects of offshore renewable energy project development. Before joining BWEA Mike worked on the DTI/Carbon Trust Renewables Innovation Review. Mike has an MSc in Environmental Technology with Energy Policy from Imperial College London and an MA in Geography from the University of Aberdeen.

Dr Pernille Holtedahl - Consultant, Energy & Environment - Innovation Norway

Pernille Holtedahl has a Ph.D in economics and has over 10 years of experience working in the energy sector. Her background includes consulting, academia and government, and she now works for Innovation Norway in London, supporting Norwegian renewable energy companies in entering the UK market.

Bob Hunt - Head of Engineering - C-MAC MicroTechnology

Holds the position of Head of Engineering for C-MAC MicroTechnology and is based in Great Yarmouth, UK

Directs the activities of the R&D team developing new and advanced technologies and products for the business. Also manages the Product Engineering team providing engineering and test for custom products and technical support to manufacturing

Graduated with BSc (Hons) and MSc in electronic engineering and has a career spanning over 25 years in mcroelectronic and optoelectronic circuit and package development.

Principle expertise is with Hi-Rel, military and aerospace products and application.

Christopher Hunt - Managing Director - Riverstone Holdings LLC

Christopher Hunt is a Managing Director of Riverstone. He is based in London.

Mr. Hunt has nearly 20 years experience in renewable/alternative energy, gas and power. Through the course of his career, he has developed, constructed, financed and/or operated renewable and conventional energy businesses in over 25 countries involving more than 30 GWs of power capacity. Prior to joining Riverstone, Mr. Hunt was one of the principals leading the creation and growth of BP Alternative Energy, one of the world’s largest and most diversified renewable energy companies involving wind, solar, co-generation, gas/LNG power generation, biofuels, energy conversion and carbon sequestration businesses. While at BP, he was a principal architect in several strategic acquisitions and developments that positioned the renewable portfolio for significant profitability and future growth. He was also responsible for the development and operations of existing assets and served as Chief Executive, President or board member of several subsidiary companies.

Before BP, he has an extensive background in the energy sector. He was at Enron where he was responsible for the acquisition, development, operations and/or financing of a multi-billion dollar portfolio of 16 coal, gas, wind and distribution businesses spread across Asia, as well as some businesses in Latin America. Prior to Enron, he was a founding member of a privately held international private power company that developed multiple wind and gas-fired power assets across Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Mr. Hunt has served on multiple boards through the course of his career. He received his BA, with high departmental honors from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and his MBA, beta gamma sigma, from Columbia University. He has also completed various post-graduate training at Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Oxford Universities.

Paul Jordan - Business Development Director - Ocean Power Technologies Ltd

Paul joined Ocean Power Technologies Limited in October 2005 to head up their Business Development activities to progress existing, and secure new, OPT wave energy projects in the significant European markets.

Previously, Paul worked in the Innovation Programme at the Carbon Trust, developing new low carbon technologies. His primary focus was to set-up and run the Marine Energy Challenge programme, to assess marine energy technologies and establish the future growth potential for wave energy. Prior to the Carbon Trust, Paul was at Rolls Royce where he initially worked in Transmission and Distribution in the UK and then for Rolls-Royce International in Thailand carrying out business development activities. Paul then joined Rolls-Royce Power Ventures as Development Manager focusing on project development of 5MW to 150MW gas turbine and diesel engine power projects in the UK and Americas.

Paul graduated from Newcastle University in 1996 with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering (Europe), with Spanish as chosen language. In 2002 he completed an MBA at INSEAD, Paris.

Reijo Kemppinen - Head of the European Commission's Representation in the UK

As Head of the European Commission Representation in the UK, Reijo Kemppinen speaks to the public and the media for the institution and liaises with the UK authorities on all aspects of EU policy. But his task and that of the Representation he runs is not just to speak, it is also to listen and pass back to Brussels the views and opinions of those he meets and interacts with in his work.

A native Finn fluent in English and French, with Swedish and some German and Italian to his credit, Reijo began as a journalist in Finland, working for television and newspapers. He then moved to Brussels as a correspondent — working also for the BBC World Service — before returning to Finland where he coordinated the Government's communication activities during accession talks with the European Union and in an ensuing referendum campaign. After Finland joined in 1995, Reijo acted as spokesman for the Finnish Representation in Brussels and the Finnish Presidency of the EU. With the in-depth knowledge of EU affairs and experience he had built up in the interface between the media and the institutions, he went on to become spokesman at the Commission, first working for the UK Commissioner Chris Patten and later on for the Commission's President. In 2003 he became the chief spokesman of the Commission. He was appointed Head of the Commission's Representation in London in autumn 2005.

Mr Kemppinen has written several books about the EU, Belgium and Finnish politics and has scripted and directed several promotional films. He is a Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

Robert Kennedy - Operations Director - Manorlane Energy

Robert Kennedy is Operations Director for Manorlane Energy and is responsible for the development of renewable energy projects within the UK.

A civil engineer, Robert worked on major projects for 8 years before joining residential developer Bett Homes in 1998. He joined Manorlane in 2006 as Engineering Manager and took on the role of Operations Director January 2008.

Although a recent entrant into the renewable energy sector, Robert has already used his knowledge of project management & business experience to deliver commercially viable projects.

Committed to renewable energy (in particular Anaerobic Digestion & Fuel Cells), Robert believes that only by applying technology to current market conditions and making them financially viable will you secure mass market entry.

Neil Kermode - Managing Director - European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney

Neil was appointed in 2005 as Managing Director of the £15M European Marine Energy Centre in Stromness, Orkney. He has overseen the expansion of EMEC with the construction of the tidal test site. Before EMEC Neil worked as a project developer of a tidal scheme in Orkney following 6 years at the Environment Agency dealing with regulation and development issues, particularly relating to public participation in decisions on flooding, waste and water resources. He is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Environmentalist and a passionate advocate of marine energy.

David Kerr - Severn Tidal Power Group

David Kerr is a civil engineer who has worked on a wide variety of civil engineering projects over a 40 year career. This has included road and rail, marine and offshore structures, and all forms of power station - coal, gas, nuclear and renewables. He has been involved in the development of Marine Renewables since the early 1980’s covering wave energy, tidal barrages, tidal stream and offshore windpower. He led the Civil Engineering studies for the Severn Barrage Tidal Power project in the late 1980’s and has been an advocate for the project ever since. He is a renewables enthusiast but also tries to instil some realism into discussions.

He is Chairman of the Energy Panel of the Institution of Civil Engineers and also is an Engineering Consultant to Sir Robert McAlpine.

Danielle Lane - Round 3 Project Manager - The Crown Estate

Danielle Lane works for The Crown Estate as Round 3 Project Manager. She is responsible for planning and implementation for the next round of leases for offshore renewables and with agreements associated with offshore transmission activities. Prior to The Crown Estate, Danielle spent 7 years working for Centrica, initially as a Commercial Manager specialising in transmission issues, and latterly as a Project Manager with responsibility for managing the development and consent of Centrica’s Round 2 portfolio.

Bob Ledsome - Head, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Division - Communities and Local Government (CLG)

Bob Ledsome is Deputy Director, head of the Climate Change and Sustainable Development team, at the Department for Communities and Local Government.  The team are leading on the zero carbon homes policy, set out in the 'Building a Greener Future' statement published in July 2007.

During his career in Communities and Local Government and its predecessor departments, Bob has worked on planning legislation and European programmes.  Before then he worked in the Health and Safety Executive. He started his civil service career in the Department for Employment. 

Dr Johannes Le Roux (Jannie) Retief - Chief Operations Officer - Renewable Energy Holdings plc

After receiving a B.Sc (Mechanical Engineering) degree from the University of Pretoria (cum laude, 1974), Jannie won a Shell Scholarship which enabled him to study at Cranfield Institute of Technology in the UK where he received a M.Sc in Engineering (cum laude, 1978). He returned to South Africa and completed a doctorate in 1984.

Jannie currently lives in the Isle of Man (UK) where he is Chief Operating Officer for Renewable Energy Holdings PLC. (REH PLC)

REH PLC is, as an owner and operator of renewable energy power plants, currently engaged in wave energy transformation, wind farms, land fill gas, solar and gasification projects.

Jannie is ideally suited for the challenges that the relatively new field of renewable energy brings along. He spent the earlier years of his career designing, constructing and commissioning distilleries, after which he gained experience in the fields of accounting, IT and marketing. Subsequently he was mainly involved in “fixing” companies or with “start-ups”. He has travelled widely and has worked and lived in South Africa, the UK, the USA, Canada and currently the Isle of Man.

He holds various directorships, is a member of professional organisations and is currently on the Executive Board of the British Energy Association. He has been actively involved in education and published a number of technical articles over the years.

Jannie is very proud having received the South African State President’s award for export achievement and was the first South African to be honoured as a Jurade of the Order of St. Emillion in Bordeaux, France.

Jonny Lewis - Senior Consultant–Renewables - RPS Energy

Jonny Lewis is a qualified marine biologist who has 10 years post-graduate experience in marine environmental assessment.  He has contributed to and project managed Environmental Impact Assessment's for a wide range of marine developments, including marine aggregate applications, major port projects (London Gateway, Bathside Bay), coastal defence projects and marine renewables.  With respect to marine renewables, Jonny has worked on the following UK-based projects; Gunfleet Sands 1 and 2, London Array, Lynn and Inner Dowsing, Lincs, Cromer, Wave Hub and E.ON's Pembrokeshire Tidal Energy project.

Dr Paula Low - Senior Consultant – Renewables, RPS Energy

• Master of Research (MRes) degree in Ecology and Environmental Management
• Early career was primarily marine conservation, including:
  • 1.5 years in South-East Asia and the Caribbean working in coral reef management
  • Then 1.5 years working for CEFAS investigating climate change on North Sea & Irish Sea demersal fish stocks, and research salmon fisheries
• Completed a working PhD with the University of London, sponsored by SNH, which was to investigate the status of the wild oyster beds around Scotland and advise on management guidance.
• Consultant within the RPS Energy renewables team for over 12 months, working primarily on marine energy (wave and tide) but also offshore wind.
• Clients have included Open Hydro, ScottishPower Renewables, SubSea Turbines and the Crown Estate.

Anne Strommen Lycke - Head of Wind Energy - StatoilHydro

Anne Strommen Lycke is Head of Wind Energy for StatoilHydro responsible for all the company’s wind energy projects - both onshore and offshore. She is also Chairman of Scira Offshore Energy, the joint venture company developing the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm. Anne was previously the Asset Manager Hydro Langeled Project where she oversaw the construction of the Langeled gas pipeline from Aukra in Norway to Easington in Yorkshire, which supplies the UK with up to 20% of its gas.

Dr Ruairi MacIver - Project Manager (Renewable Energy) - Comhairle nan Eilean Sia

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (The Western Isles Council) is a local authority responsible for the chain of islands located roughly forty miles off the north-western coast of Scotland. The Western Isles are an Energy Innovation Zone, a designation that promotes the Comhairle’s commitment to the development of novel, low carbon, energy generation and usage.

Dr Ruairi MacIver is the Principal Officer responsible for developing and managing the Comhairle’s portfolio of renewable energy projects. These aim to harness the sustainable maritime, wind and bio-mass energy resources available to the islands to stimulate local renewable energy economic activity and to reduce the region’s dependence on imported energy.

The Hebridean Hydrogen Park is the Comhairle’s vision for demonstrating the potential of a hydrogen economy within the Western Isles. The presentation will highlight the achievements to date and proposals for future developments.

Dr MacIver has 14 years research experience in the physics of coastal flows at University College London, Imperial College London in the UK and University College Cork in Ireland. This knowledge has been used latterly to tackle issues relating to maritime renewable energy (wave and tidal stream). He took up post with the Western Isles Council in October 2007 and, amongst other things, is rapidly learning about the capabilities and possibilities of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells.

Dr Keith MacLean - Head of Policy and Public Affairs - Scottish and Southern Energy

Since completing graduate and postgraduate studies in Chemistry at Heriot-Watt and Hamburg Universities, Keith joined SSE in 1994 following a career in Germany and Scotland working in Research & Development and Business Management.

At SSE he has worked in a number of areas of the core energy business and was also responsible for starting-up and running its telecoms business from 1997 to 2004.

Since 2004 he has been responsible for energy and environmental policy and public affairs. He also has the company lead in sustainability policy - ensuring that SSE carries out its internal and external activities in a sustainable manner, taking a balanced view on the economic, environmental and social elements of its work.

Outside SSE, he is a member of the Executive of the Micropower Council as well as Director on the Board of the Scottish Renewables Forum (SRF). Keith is also Chairman of the Board at the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (UKBCSE).

In addition to this trade association activity he is a government advisor on reneawable energy policy and was appointed to the Renewables Advisory Board in December 2007 and also serves on the UK and Scottish Transmission Working Groups as well as the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland – a joint government and industry group set up to deal with all issues relating to the achievement of the Executive’s renewable energy strategy.

Maria McCaffery MBE - CEO - The British Wind Energy Association

Maria McCaffery was appointed Chief Executive of The British Wind Energy Association in June 2006. She is a graduate Chemist with a long track record in business support, international trade and national membership organisations. She is passionate about renewable energy systems and now champions the exploitation of the UK’s natural energy resources for electrical power generation, primarily from wind, wave and tidal technologies. With a strong focus in policy development and communications, she is engaging with industry, government and the finance sector to accelerate the deployment of all forms of renewable electricity.

Sue McDougall - Acting Chief Executive Officer - Renewable Fuels Agency

Sue McDougall is the interim Chief Executive of the Renewable Fuels Agency and has held this post since December 2007. Prior to that she was a consultant on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation Team in the Department for Transport working specifically on communications and stakeholder management as well as the setting-up of the Renewable Fuels Agency. Before becoming a consultant, Sue held a number of policy and management roles in the Home Office. Her early career was in business journalism, working for both the Evening Standard City Page and the Financial Times.

Gerald McEachern - Director of Development - Huntsman Oceansciences

Gerald is a career business developer. For over 20 years he led a successful marketing agency in northern Ontario Canada specializing in government, resource-based and telecommunications clients—before moving to Canada’s East Coast. Prior to his marketing career, Gerald was trained as a stationary engineer and in the 1970s produced the working drawings for a one-atmosphere tethered submersible with mixed gas lockout diving capabilities for marine salvage and rescue operations. Today he handles the development program for Huntsman Oceansciences in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where he is responsible for advancing the organization’s research, education and contract science operations, including ocean energy projects on the Bay of Fundy.

Jessica McIlroy - Project Director - Ocean Renewable Energy Group

Jessica McIlroy has been a part of the Ocean Renewable Energy Group since its inception in 2004. She was on the founding Board of Directors as Treasurer and Secretary, stepping down in 2005 to take a staff position as Project Director.

In 2003 Ms. McIlroy completed an MSc in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Her dissertation was on the challenges facing commercialisation in the UK wave energy sector, which started her career in the ocean energy.

Ms. McIlroy is currently completing an MBA at Royal Roads University in BC, she also attended Simon Fraser University, completing a BSc in Environmental Science with a focus in Biology in 2000.

Since 2000, Ms. McIlroy has gained extensive experience in the environmental and renewable energy fields, completing number of contracts for wind and wave energy companies, a conservation organisation in Mexico, the Canadian federal government, and other organisations.

Lisa C. Mallon - Health and Safety Manager - ScottishPower Renewables

Lisa is a Health and Safety professional with a Masters Degree in Safety and Environmental Management in addition to a Degree in Engineering. Lisa’s career has included roles within Manufacturing, Health & Safety Consultancy, Energy and Electricity Industries.

Lisa is currently the Health and Safety Manager for ScottishPower Renewables and a member of the BWEA health and safety steering group with particular responsibilities for training standards and public safety.

Lisa is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (MIOSH) and a Member of the Association of Project Safety (MaPS).

Rosie Manise - Principal Specialist on Climate and Energy - Natural England

Rosie Manise joined Natural England last summer as their Principle Specialist - Climate Change & Energy Policy from her previous post as Head of Policy for the Audit Commission, dealing with corporate policy issues including value for money, governance and corporate social responsibility. Prior to entering the regulatory sector, Rosie worked in business and NGOs, established a successful private practice, and taught impact assessment, environmental management, environmental policy & law at MSc and LLM at the University of Wales where she had studied for her own MSc. Over the years, her interests led her to specialise in environmental management, impact assessment, and project development. Rosie's later move to the Audit Commission enabled her to successfully influence public service policy using systems thinking and foresight planning - good solid environmental management skills of course, just applied to non-environmental policy-making. Among other things, this resulted in Area Profiles, a locality based assessment of performance and value for money, which started life as a modest collaboration with an old friend but has been mainstreamed as the Comprehensive Area Assessment. Moving to Natural England was Rosie's opportunity to return to her environmental roots and apply her public policy skills to an area of personal passion, the natural environment.  

Ian Marchant - Chief Executive - SSE

Ian Marchant was appointed Chief Executive of SSE in October 2002 having been Finance Director since 1998. He joined Southern Electric in 1992 and joined the Board on becoming Finance Director in 1996. Ian has been Chairman of the United Kingdom Business Council for Sustainable Energy, is a member of Ofgem’s Environmental Advisory Group, the Coal Forum and of the Energy Research Partnership. Ian is a non-Executive Director of Maggie’s Cancer Centres and of John Wood Group PLC. He is also Chairman of the Climate Change Business Delivery Group.

Javier Marqués - Head of The EVE Renewable Energies Department

Javier Marqués is a graduate Industrial Engineer, specialising in Energy Technologies from the School of Industrial Engineering in Bilbao and Master in Business Administration from from the University of Deusto also in Bilbao.  He has over 20 years experience in the energy field, particularly renewable energies and has lead in EVE (the Basque Energy Board) on the implementation of different programmes for the development of renewable energies (solar, wind, biomass, marine…) in the Basque Country in northern Spain.  At present, he is the Head of The EVE Renewable Energies Department and a member of the Boards of companies, public/private involved in renewable energy projects and developments in which EVE has a share.  He is also a member of the Renewable Energies Working Group, constituted by the central Spanish Authorities and the Spanish Autonomous Communities for the development of renewable energies in Spain.  On the marine energy front, he leads on an energy from waves project that EVE with EU backing through the Framework VI programme is developing on the Basque coastline at Mutriku employing OWC technology from Wavegen (Scotland) the project for energy from waves.  He is also involved in an EVE project for the promotion and development of a research infrastructure for the development of marine energies on/off the Basque coastline in the future.

Jim Mather MSP - Minister for Enterprise, Energy, and Tourism

Born in March 1947, Jim Mather MSP was educated at Paisley Grammar, Greenock High School and Glasgow University, where he studied accountancy, law and economics.

In 1964, he became an apprentice chartered accountant, going on on to work in the computer industry, latterly running his own business, before entering politics.

From 2000 until 2004, he was the party's National Treasurer. At the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Jim was elected as a Highlands and Islands MSP. As Shadow Enterprise and Economy Minister, he was a member of the SNP's Shadow Cabinet.

Mr Mather became the MSP for Argyll and Bute at the 2007 Scottish Parliament election and was appointed Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism.

He has been involved in the development and promotion of the Economic Case for Independence and is a Director of Business for Scotland.

He is married with two children.

Roddy Matheson - Aberdeenshire Council

Roddy, originally from Ross shire first came  to Aberdeen as a student, where he  graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Aberdeen University and after a post graduate Accountancy qualification worked for over 25 years in the transport and logistics sector where he served as  managing director with companies involved in  the oil and gas and traditional industries, prior to joining Aberdeenshire Council in the new post of Industries Sector Manager.

He is also the Council's Renewable Energy Champion and has led the Authority's efforts  in promoting biomass in the North east, work which has recently resulted in the Council being awarded a Northern Star Business award and the Delivering Excellence Award from COSLA, the Scottish Convention of Local Authorities.

Jan Matthiesen - Head of Onshore - British Wind Energy Association

Jan Matthiesen is the Head of Onshore at BWEA, the British Wind Energy Association. BWEA is the representative body for companies active in the UK wind, wave and tidal energy market. Its membership stands at over 380 companies. Jan has a University degree in electrical / mechanical engineering and has worked for Industry Associations since 2000.

Dr Keith Melton - Director of Technology & Innovation - NaREC

Broad International experience in R&D management and new product development across a range of sectors and technologies.

Responsible for the technical delivery team at NaREC supporting the wind, marine and electrical businesses, developing a business in micro renewables, selling and delivering consultancy across NaREC’s range of capabilities, R&D programme.

With Corus, led a project to do a feasibility study on a permanent magnet direct drive wind turbine.

Andrew Mill - Chief Executive - NaREC

Andrew is the Chief Executive of NaREC (New and Renewable Energy Centre). Born in Scotland but attended school in Canada before returning to complete his education in Glasgow. He attended The University of Strathclyde where he was awarded a degree in electrical engineering and electronic science. After a period with YARD consultants Andrew joined Rolls Royce Peebles where he was Director and General Manger of the projects division. The company completed a number of mechanical and electrical packages for small hydro, mining, wind turbine and thermal power plants world wide. He has been involved in the energy industry for most of his career including a period as Business Development Director Southern Europe with British Energy. He spent a short period in the communications industry where as Operations Director he was responsible for the implementation of a system which recovered data from remote equipment using mobile phone technology. Prior to joining NaREC he was Managing Director of EMEC the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney during its initial build and operational phase. Andrew is a member of the UK DTI’s Renewables Advisory Board and sits on the board of a number of companies involved in renewable energy.

Professor C Paul Mitchell - Institute of Energy Technologies, University of Aberdeen

Prof Paul Mitchell has almost 30 years experience in conducting research, development and demonstration in renewable energies. He has worked closely with government departments and agencies, research institutes, international organisations and industry as programme and project manager developing biomass and bioenergy as an economically viable and sustainable source of energy. The development of wood either as co-products from the conventional forest industries or as short rotation coppice energy crops and more recently the development of biofuels has been a particular focus.

He teaches into the Energy Futures MSc programme and has supervised numerous PhD students on energy-related topics, in particular techno-economic and systems analysis of renewable energy technologies..

He is the author of over 200 scientific papers, editor of a book and 16 conference proceedings.

Professor Mitchell is the Chief Editor of the academic journal Biomass and Bioenergy published by Elsevier.

Professor Mitchell is based in the University of Aberdeen, College of Physical Sciences where he is Director of the Institute of Energy Technologies. The Institute brings together all the research in the University directed at energy related issues. Prime strengths are in renewables (biomass, biofuels, wave, fuel cells), Petroleum engineering, petroleum geology, storage of nuclear waste, economics & policy, supply system modelling, carbon sequestration, design of energy efficient buildings. He is a co-director of the Energy Technologies Partnership – a pan-Scotland partnership of university based researcher into all aspects of energy. He is also a founder Director of the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) – a public/private body to develop and promote the deployment of clean energy technologies.

Derek Mitchell - Project Manager - The Hydrogen Office

Derek Mitchell is project managing the development of the Hydrogen Office Demonstration Centre in Fife, having set up the project four years ago and secured the funding package two years ago. Derek is a director of the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (SHFCA,) and is a keen advocate of Scotland’s potential to develop world leadership in renewable hydrogen technologies.

Colin Morgan - Director - Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd

Colin Morgan is a Director of Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd, based in the UK.  He has a mechanical engineering background and has worked in the wind energy industry for 20 years.  In this time his work has included: wind turbine aerodynamic and structural analysis and design; software development and support; research into wake effects; wind and energy resource assessment;  banks due diligence; construction management; and wind turbine inspection.   For the past seven years he has been in charge of GH work on offshore wind projects.

Alan Mortimer - Head of Renewables Policy - ScottishPower Renewable Energy Ltd

Alan Mortimer graduated from Glasgow University in 1987 with an Honours degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He then joined James Howden & Co. Ltd. in Glasgow, working on a variety of products from tunnelling machines to industrial fans to wind turbines. In 1991 Alan joined ScottishPower, working initially as an engineer, then moving into renewables development. During this period the company has expanded to become the leading player in the UK wind market with 18 windfarms totalling over 380MW, including the UK’s largest windfarm at Black Law (124MW). In his current role as Head of Renewables Policy he has responsibility for policy and strategic issues related to the company’s growth ambitions. This includes developments in the marine sector such as the Orkney project with PWP and the tidal project with Hammerfest Strøm.

Alex Murley - Small-System Manager - BWEA

Alex Murley is the Small-System Manager at BWEA where he is responsible for co-ordinating the representation of the UK micro- and small wind industry to the British public, national media, and the UK government. Alex sits on the UK Microgeneration Certification Scheme Steering Group whilst also actively supports numerous BWEA Small Systems working groups which tackle technical, policy, and communication issues within industry.

Alex has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Bath University, and has worked within ethical supply chain management, the environmental charity sector, as well as the wholesale electricity market. Prior to BWEA Alex worked as a business analyst for ELEXON Ltd, the UK's Balancing and Settlement Code Company.

Philippe Nellissen - Business Development Manager - 3B-the fibre glass company

Birth date: 02/12/1972 Citizenship: Belgium, married, 1 child

Education:

Hold an Civil Engineering degree in Electromechanics from the University of Liège, Belgium.

Hold a Master in Management from the HEC in Liège

Business experience

• Started at Owens Corning in 2000 and hold various position Manufacturing Plant in Battice ( Belgium).Was in charge of Maintenance and production of short fibres products
• In 2005, Joined the Business Development Team at the European Team of Owens Corning.

Mainly dedicated to Energy and Infrastructure market. In energy field, a lot of interest in Renewable Energies (Wind, Wave and Tidal, …).

• In November 2007, joined 3B , the fibreglass company as Business Development Manager. 3B is a new name in fibreglass reinforcements manufacturing for the composite and reinforced plastics industries. Formed as an independent entity following the acquisition of Saint Gobain's reinforcements business Vetrotex by Owens Corning, 3B is the #1 European-based glass fibre manufacturer

Guy Nicholson - Chief Executive - Econnect Group

Guy Nicholson is a chartered engineer with 27 years’ experience of renewables and is the founder of Econnect. He is a highly respected authority on grid integration issues both in the UK and in Europe, and has delivered presentations at major renewable events around the world.

Guy represents generators on the GB Grid Code Review Panel and on the UK Ofgem DTI Distribution Working Group. He is an advocate for renewable energy, sustainability and a low carbon global economy.

Dr Trudy Nicholson - Head, Energy Efficiency Unit - Scottish Government

Trudy started life out as a research scientist working in the field of neurophysiology at University College London. In 2000, she moved back to Scotland to join the Scottish Executive to work on innovation and research & development policy, including support schemes such as Proof of Concept, SMART and SPUR. After three years, she was seconded to University of Glasgow to work on a European funded knowledge transfer project aimed at bridging the gap between SMEs and the University.

On return to the Executive in 2004, she worked in skills policy, primarily responsible for the development of Sector Skills Councils and Sector Skills Agreements in Scotland.

Since May 2006, she has headed up the Energy Efficiency Team in the Scottish Government providing a strategic view on energy efficiency policies and activities. She is responsible for taking forward the Scottish Government's overall strategy and policy developments on energy efficiency. Much of this work involves co-ordinating, contributing and mainstreaming activity across the Scottish Government. She oversees the work of the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust in Scotland, along with the Central Energy Efficiency Fund and Loan Action Scotland. In addition, she is responsible for developing future policy for supporting microgeneration in Scotland.

Gavin Peart - Head of the Building Standards Strategy Division - the Directorate for the Built Environment

Gavin is currently Head of the Building Standards Strategy Division of the Directorate for the Built Environment. He oversees the work of the Research/Sustainability/LZCT, Structure/Energy and Safety/Noise Branches. On joining the Scottish Government seven years ago, Gavin was given responsibility for the technical content of the Noise and Energy standards and guidance, including implementation of the EU Directive on the energy performance of buildings. From 1978 until 2001 he was employed by 2 local authorities, performing the full range of building control responsibilities. He also has full corporate membership of the RICS.

Jon Priddy - Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company

Jon has been employed as a CES development officer in the north highlands, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire since 2002. The work includes developing community based renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in partnership with community groups including hall committees, community forestry groups and groups with an interest in providing a sustainable income from renewable energy to address local needs. Jon came to the job from a career in environmental management centred on Forestry and was latterly involved in developing a biomass cluster in north Sutherland. He has a Msc in Environmental Resource Management (Forestry Strategies) and is now studying electrical engineering part time as well as building up his own portfolio of micro wind and hydro turbine installation work. He has built built his own log home in Sutherland complete with a wood fired heating system.

Anne Quinn - Managing Director - Riverstone

Ms. Quinn is a Managing Director of Riverstone. She is based in London.

Prior to joining Riverstone, Ms. Quinn was Group Vice President of the Gas, Power and Renewables business of BP plc. In her last position, she focused on Gas, LNG and Natural Gas Liquids for BP. She has also been the Managing Director of Alliance Gas Ltd, an executive with Standard Oil of Ohio and a management consultant with Resource Planning Associates.
Ms. Quinn's career has involved living in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Colombia, Belgium and New Zealand. She has also conducted business in many other countries.
Ms. Quinn has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Auckland University and a Masters in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ms. Quinn serves on the President’s Advisory Committee to the Sloan School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a non Executive Director of the Mondi Group plc. She was a Non-executive Director of The BOC Group plc from 2004 to 2006.

Ms. Quinn was a CBE in 2000.

Win Rampen - Artemis Intelligent Power

Win grew up on an Ontario farm near Toronto surrounded by sheds full of lovely old, broken, machines, which encouraged a hand's-on interest in engineering and energy.  After a first degree in Mechanical Engineering in Toronto he hopped continents and found a job with Stephen Salter working on the power conversion side of the "Duck" wave-energy converter, under the tutelage of Robert Clerk.  After a spell as a lecturer in Toronto, he returned to Edinburgh in 1987 to take up an EPSRC project which effectively continued the earlier work on ultra-efficient hydraulic transmissions.  He completed a part-time PhD in 1993, his thesis "the Digital Displacement Hydraulic Pump" providing the initial framework for the development that followed.

After building and demonstrating the first Digital Displacement® machines he, with Stephen Salter, spun out Artemis Intelligent Power in 1994 to develop and commercialise this technology.  Artemis is now an R&D and licensing company, with a focus on two major clean technology applications for its transmissions. Hydraulic hybrid vehicle applications have been licensed to Bosch, and discussions are in progress with two major wind turbine manufacturers. The company is still entirely owned by its founders and employees.

Dave Raval - Manager, Carbon Trust - TTP Incubator

Dave is the Incubator Manager. He has a strong understanding of how to combine technology and business to deliver commercially-successful new ventures, and 10 years' experience of helping new technology companies to grow. He has worked with start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, spin-outs from large companies, academia and university technology transfer offices, finance providers, charitable bodies, the DTI/DIUS and all of the UK’s Regional Development Agencies and Local Assembly Governments.

Dave has degrees in Engineering and Business from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and has lived and worked in the UK, USA and Germany.

Dr Geoff Riddington

Dr Geoff Riddington is an independent consultant and Visiting Reader in Quantitative Economics in the Division of Public Policy at the Caledonian Business School. He specialises in economic forecasting and in economic impact and cost-benefit appraisals of leisure, tourism and transport related projects and activities. His publications include papers on combining the economic value and impact frameworks, on the econometric forecasts underlying airport development plans, on the economic benefits associated with angling and water sports, on methods for estimating local input-output tables, on forecasting skiing numbers and on the evaluation of train protection systems. He has also published work on the economics of Scottish Railways, on Scottish Ferry Services and on Scottish Tourism Statistics.

Rainer Romirer-Maierhofer - Technical support & Training Europe, UK Export Manager - Windhager Zentralheizung GmbH, Austria

Rainer Romirer-Maierhofer started his electrical training early – at 15, finishing this full time part of his education at 19. After this he studied at evening classes for his master's diplomas – in electrical engineering as well as mechanical & automation engineering. He worked as a technician in different companies, and has been working with Windhager Zentralheizung for the past 5 ½ years. He started there as a service technician. For the past 3 1/2 years he has worked with the export department. First he was responsible for technical matters in export (training, support, service, etc.), but for the past eighteen months he has also been responsible for sales in UK and Ireland. He is also the head labour union speaker for the company.

Marco Rossetti - Project Engineer - Air Products plc

Project Engineer with over 14 years experience in the implementation of a wide range of projects having special expertise in the Gases & Chemical industry. Currently responsible for project managing several high profile hydrogen energy projects in Europe.

Patrick Schmidt - Researcher - Ludwig-Bolkow-Systemtechnik (LBST)

Patrick Schmidt received his diploma in electrical engineering 2001 in Karlsruhe/Germany. Since then, Patrick Schmidt is working with Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST) as researcher and project manager in strategy and technology projects in the context of sustainable energy and transport systems. He has been part of the European HFP Secretariat and has been working in a number of industry and research projects, among others “GermanHy” – The German Hydrogen Energy Roadmap. His main interests are sustainablity issues, renewable energies and green business.

Neil Schofield - Head of Sustainable Development Head of Sustainable Development - Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd

Neil has been involved in the heating industry throughout his career, starting at British Gas before moving on to Worcester in 1987.

For the last five years, Neil has been leading the company on industry legislation, ensuring that Worcester is at the forefront of providing support for any new changes. He took on this new role to initially to focus on the amends to the building regulations (Part L regarding boilers) and is now the company's main ambassador for promoting awareness of renewable technology and carbon reduction legislation.

As part of Neil’s role, he is involved many industry bodies. He is currently Chair of ACE (Association for the Conservation of Energy) and Chair of the Construction Products Association’s Low and Zero Carbon Technologies Group.

Neil is also involved with a number of other bodies including:

• Heating & Hotwater Industry Council (Chair - Low carbon technologies group)
• Solar Trade Association (Vice Chairman)
• GSHP Association (Council member)

Adrian Scholtz - CEO - Green Peninsula

Adrian Scholtz is CEO of Green Peninsula, a company founded 2 years ago that is dedicated to providing renewable energy lead advisory and project management services to major corporations. As CEO, Adrian has overall responsibility for all client relationships, which includes some of the world’s largest companies, to deliver material and long term change to their energy provision. Adrian has experience of most major renewable energy markets and all commercially mature technologies, which may contribute to delivering ambitious renewable energy targets for our clients.

Adrian joined Green Peninsula in 2007. Prior to joining, he was an Assistant Director in Ernst & Young’s Renewable Energy Team, where he worked for 5 years. During this time Adrian advised on a broad range of renewable energy transactions; and compiled numerous market, policy and due diligence reports for a numerous high quality organisations.

Adrian has delivered papers and chaired sessions at numerous major renewable energy conferences, and compiled a variety of published renewable energy articles.

Adrian is a Chartered Accountant, having worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers for 4 years.

Further information on Adrian and Green Peninsula can be found at www.green-peninsula.com

Carin Schwartz - Chair - Transition Town Forres Group

Carin Schwartz is  Chair of Transition Town Forres Group, a newly established community group established to encourage local action for higher resilience in the face of climate change and peak oil. The group is one of many in the UK wide Transition Town network, currently at over 750 communities, towns, cities and neighbourhoods. The Transition Town Forres Group aims to create an Energy Descent Action Plan to suggest ways for Forres to become carbon neutral in the not too distant future. She is also active in a number of local organisations where she works to give community members a voice to speak their concerns. (Chair of Forres Neighbour hood Forum, President of Forres and Findhorn Toastmaster Club,  Director of Findhorn Foundation College and Director of Ekopia)

Previous to this Carin worked in international banking for 27 years in Stockholm, New York, Berlin and London, primarily with Trade Finance. She moved to Scotland 3 years ago.

Tavish Scott MSP - Convener, Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee

In 1999, 2003 and 2007, Tavish Scott was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland which, at some 300 miles from Edinburgh, is the furthest constituency from Holyrood, and is a constituency made up of a group of islands closer to Norway than they are to Edinburgh.

Representing Shetland's interests in Edinburgh mean that, as well as the usual health, education, and housing issues all MSPs have to deal with, he has to keep in touch with fishing, aquaculture, crofting & farming, and energy (oil and renewables) issues. And, of course, transport is always a major issue, which affects all aspects of island life, and indeed of the life of the islands MSP as he travels back and forwards between Shetland and Edinburgh.

Prior to his election to the Scottish Parliament, he was a Director of Shetland Islands Tourism, a Shetland Islands Councillor and Chairman and Trustee of the Lerwick Harbour Trust. Prior to May 2007, Tavish held ministerial office in the Scottish Executive as Deputy Minister for Parliament, Deputy Minister for Finance, Public Services and Parliamentary Business and latterly Minister for Transport.

Dale Seymour - Deputy Secretary for Energy, Resources and Major Projects - Department of Primary Industries, Melbourne

He is responsible for major capital projects and departmental work on the Energy, Minerals and Extractive Industries covering policy, regulation, investment facilitation, technology and innovation. He oversees energy policy advice and projects and the implementation and further development of the Energy Technology Innovation Strategy. He is also tasked with managing the Government's negotiations with Alcoa on proposed expansion within Victoria. Dale advises the Minister for Energy and Resources, The Hon. Peter Batchelor, MP.

Recent high profile capital projects he has overseen include the relocation of the Melbourne Wholesale Market, the establishment of a Biosciences Research Centre, and the Melbourne Showgrounds Redevelopment project. As well as being at the centre of Victoria’s response to climate change, he has a wealth of experience in government structural reform and major capital works as well as a keen understanding of the political process.

Malcolm Shepherd - Managing Director - Biofuel Matters Ltd

Malcolm Shepherd is Managing Director of Biofuel Matters Ltd, a company that provides specialist consultancy services for commercial companies, government agencies, trade associations and NGOs on biofuel issues - with particular emphasis on commodity risk management, feedstock selection, co-product utilisation, supply networks and competition for crops.

Current projects for biodiesel and bioethanol interests include feedstock procurement & risk management strategies, evaluating alternative markets for biofuel co-products and investigating the issues & facts surrounding the “food versus fuel” debate.

Before establishing Biofuel Matters, Malcolm was Managing Director of Green Spirit Fuels, Director of eBIO (European Bioethanol Producers Association) and Managing Director of Wessex Grain Ltd. His working experience involves commodity trading, animal feed & feed ingredient processing and management of a large bioethanol project that included the investigation of feed markets for fermentation residues.

Charles Shields - Chief Executive - Industrial and Power Association

Charles Shields is the Chief Executive of the Industrial and Power Association. He has been a Director of the Association since 1994. His career spans about 40 years in the power industry. Early career experience included five years in the nuclear industry, followed by three years in the power boiler industry. The larger part of his career was in the gas turbine industry, spending 28 years with John Brown Engineering at Clydebank in Scotland.

The Industrial and Power Association supports and promotes companies involved in the power and energy business. The IPA has a membership of 48 companies, ranging from large utility to small consultants. Members’ interests include engineering, manufacturing, construction, project development, and the financial and legal activity in power projects.

Stein Erik Skilhagen -Vice President Osmotic Power - Statkraft

Master in Environmental Engineering from Norway. All his professional life been spent working with industrial development projects - everything from breweries through pharmaceuticals and also production of fertilizers. The last few years he has spent his time on the development of osmotic power, including handling the transition of transferring this concept from purely R&D into a representation of a great future possibility within renewable energy.

Richard Slark - Director of Renewables - Pöyry Energy Consulting

Richard Slark is director of renewables at Pöyry Energy Consulting with fourteen years experience in the operation of power markets in the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. Richard specialises the commercial and strategic response to energy policy and in the design and implementation of renewable policy instruments. He advises on price, policy and regulatory risk in Europe’s conventional and renewable electricity markets. Richard currently divides his time between advising on the financing and valuation of renewable projects and on the issues arising from the EU’s 20% renewable energy target for 2020. His clients include conventional and renewable power station developers, financiers and operators, government departments and regulators.

Pöyry Energy Consulting is Europe's leading energy consultancy – providing strategic, commercial, regulatory and policy advice to Europe's energy markets. Part of Pöyry Plc, the global engineering and consulting firm, Pöyry Energy Consulting merges the expertise of ILEX Energy Consulting, ECON and Convergence Utility Consultants with the management consulting arms of Electrowatt-Ekono and Verbundplan. Our team of over 250 energy specialists, located across 15 European offices in 12 countries, offers unparalleled expertise in the rapidly changing energy sector.

Jon Slowe - Director - Delta Energy & Environment

Jon is a director at Delta Energy & Environment, and a specialist in the fields of micro-CHP, emerging decentralised energy (DE) technologies, DE markets, business models and applications. Jon has published numerous reports on these topics and carried out a variety of consulting engagements He leads work advising utilities, investor, technology developers and policy makers in Europe, North America and Japan. He has nine years experience in the energy sector. Jon previously worked for Platts as manager of its E Source Distributed Energy and Micro-CHP research services, subscribed to by utilities and other organisations around the world.. Before that, Jon worked for the UK's Energy Saving Trust, managing their programmes to support the take up of cogeneration and the development of energy services offerings.

Dr Jo Smith - Reader in Soil Organic Matter and Nutrient Modelling, School of Biological Sciences -University of Aberdeen

Dr Jo Smith obtained a PhD in Modelling Clay Mineral Dissolution from the University of Reading in 1991. She worked briefly for British Petroleum, modelling zeolite materials, before moving to Rothamsted Research. At Rothamsted Research, she focussed on simulation of soil organic matter and nitrogen turnover, with particular emphasis on nitrate leaching from Nitrate Sensitive Areas and Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. In 2001, she moved to the University of Aberdeen, where research interests shifted onto greenhouse gas emissions from the soil associated with land use and climate change. In 2005, the team published the most comprehensive dynamic simulation to date of carbon dioxide emissions from mineral soils in Europe. Since then, the team has focussed on organic soils, with the development of a new model of soil organic matter and nitrogen turnover in highly organic soils (ECOSSE). Recently, she coordinated a project to provide revised guidelines for calculating carbon savings from windfarms sited on Scottish peatlands. It is this work that she will discuss at All-Energy ’08.

Louise Smith - Pentland Firth Tidal Energy Project Manager - Highlands & Islands Enterprise

Louise is a chartered civil engineer who is well known in the North of Scotland for promoting renewable energy projects. Since returning to live in Thurso, Caithness four years ago she has been involved in several energy initiatives including three years as a director of the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company (HICEC). She has also served as chair of the Caithness Renewable Energy Forum, and established the Caithness Energy Alliance (a body formed by businesses with a Caithness base, to target the renewable and offshore markets) together with a free energy advice service for householders in Caithness and Sutherland whilst working for a local community group

In February 2008 she joined the Pentland Firth Tidal Energy Project - a partnership of the area’s principal agencies – which is the key contact for marine energy device developers, investors, utility companies and the supply chain. The project vision is to support the development of a globally important marine energy industry in the Pentland Firth to the significant benefit of the local and national economies in a sustainable and environmentally aware way.

Dr Michael R Smith - Chief Executive - Energyfiles

Michael has spent over 25 years working in the oil and gas industry.

After receiving his geology doctorate from Oxford University he worked for 7 years as a consultant in Asia followed by 10 years employed in both managerial and technical capacities with oil companies all over the world.

His interest in energy supply forecasting was stimulated whilst Exploration Manager for Sun Oil in Yemen in 1991, observing the rapid rise and fall of Sun’s upstream business and realising the scarcity of material global drilling prospects even then.

He is now Chief Executive of Energyfiles where he has developed a detailed forecasting service. Visit www.energyfiles.com for more information.

Greg Snyder – Manager - Atlantic Canada, Renewable Power, Hatch Energy

Greg Snyder is a Senior Project Engineer and is Manager of the Hatch Energy Fredericton Office. He has more than 25 years experience, including numerous civil construction, hydroelectric projects and water resource projects in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Snyder has participated in numerous wind and renewable energy conferences and workshops, and has been involved in preparation of RFP submissions for wind farm project in Atlantic Canada. This work has included work related to preengineering, project costing and construction logistics. He also has extensive experience in dam safety projects and inspections, design and construction of modifications, and rehabilitation for aging structures. Recently, he has been involved in redevelopment projects for renewable energy and providing advice in the ownership transfer of dam systems.

Frank Sommerville - Business Development Manager - Nova Scotia Department of Energy

Frank Sommerville, is the Manager, Business Development with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. He has been full time with energy related business development opportunities for the past ten years. He has been employed with the Province of Nova Scotia in the economic development field for the past 30 years where he has been involved with industrial infrastructure projects and promoting business opportunities associated with major capital projects including offshore petroleum exploration and development activities.

Frank by training is a civil engineer and has post graduate degrees in engineering and construction management from the United States and Great Britain, respectively. Prior to joining the provincial government service, Frank worked in Thailand, the United States, and Iran.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Frank is married and has two sons.

Dave Sowden

Dave Sowden is an experienced chief executive in regulatory and public affairs with over 15 years’ experience in the energy industry and an outstanding track record in obtaining changes in UK and EU legislation and regulation. He is an official adviser on Energy Policy to the UK Ministers, and has had a pivotal role across a number of years in shaping key aspects of UK energy policy, especially in the microgeneration sector.

While employed by one of the world’s leading energy companies he was instrumental in setting up the Micropower Council, an industry body that brings together companies and trade associations with the aim of promoting microgeneration. It was the prime mover behind the UK government’s Microgeneration Strategy and the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006, one of the largest ever Private Member's Bills to become law.

In his early career, he spent ten years in the UK electricity and gas industry, with substantial parts of this spent in Brussels influencing the passage of EU energy liberalisation legislation. He holds a first degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Wales, and an MBA from the University of Warwick. He is a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, the Institute Of Directors, and a Fellow of the RSA.

Rick Squires - Chairman - Eclipse Energy UK Ltd

Rick is Chairman of Eclipse Energy UK Ltd a privately owned company which is developing a 150 MW offshore wind farm in the UK. Rick is also Chairman of FibreGen the AIM quoted company which is the second largest wood pellet supplier in the North America. He is a board member of Good Energy, the UK based 100% renewable electricity supplier and also Prins Alternatech a supplier of LPG conversion equipment for the automotive industry. Rick also runs iEnergy Ltd, which provides consulting, executive search and management education services to the energy industry.

Rick has extensive experience in the international energy business across a wide range of activities and fuels. Until 2003 he was based in Boston, USA with InterGen, an international power company. Prior to this, Rick headed the Power Business within Shell Gas and Power, London. His career in Shell spanned over 25 years and included senior management positions in Shell Coal International, Shell Gas Power and Shell International Trading. While he was principally based in London, he also had assignments with Shell in South Africa and Japan. Before joining Shell, he worked in the UK as a graduate engineer for the South Western Electricity Board. Rick holds a First Honours Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Business Studies.

Dr Garry Staunton - Technology Director - The Carbon Trust

Dr Garry Staunton joined the Carbon Trust in April 2002.  From 2002 to 2007 he was responsible for the development and delivery of the wide range of research and development activities within the Carbon Trust’s Innovation business area, and was appointed Technology Director in 2007.  Garry’s current responsibilities includes ensuring that the Carbon Trust remains informed regarding opportunities where provision of support can have a material impact on the commercialisation of low carbon technologies.

Prior to joining Carbon Trust Garry worked for as a consultant in the low carbon energy sector where his activities included work on renewable energy, energy policy and R&D evaluation/management.  Garry’s consultancy work was carried out for a range of clients in the UK and overseas.

 Lord Provost Peter Stephen - Lord Provost of the City of Aberdeen

Place of Birth: Aberdeen
Educated: Sunnybank Primary; Robert Gordon's College
Qualifications: M.C.I.B.S. Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland
Occupation: 1953-1991 Union Bank of Scotland which became Bank of Scotland, retired as Senior Branch Manager, (broken only by 2 years of National Service). 1992-1996 Self employed Business Consultant
Professional Membership: M.C.I.B.S.
Special Interests: Pensions, Community/Ward, The City
Leisure Interests: Family, caravaning, walking, gardening, horses, dogs and bowls

The Lord Provost is Aberdeen’s civic head, an ancient office dating back to the 13th century.  Peter Stephen was nominated and elected as the new Lord Provost for Aberdeen.

The 43 members of Aberdeen City Council following the local government elections elect the ‘first citizen’ every four years. The Provost is also the Convener of the Council and continues to carry out the normal duties of an elected member.

The role involves the active promotion of Aberdeen at home and abroad. This involves a wide range of activities from hosting civic receptions and acting as the city’s ambassador, to taking part in a wide range of activities involving Aberdeen’s many groups and organisations.

Importantly, the Lord Provost is also the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeen City and in this capacity, greets the Royal Family and visiting Heads of State. Other titles held by the Lord Lieutenant are the Lord High Admiral of the Northern Seas and the Vice Admiral of the Coast of Great Britain and Ireland.

Rita Stephen - Development Manager - ACSEF

A graduate in Management from The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Rita Stephen has almost completed two years of a three year secondment to the Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Forum (ACSEF) as Development Manager. ACSEF is a public-private sector partnership created to deliver economic development priorities throughout the North East of Scotland to retain Aberdeen City and Shire’s position as the top performing economy in Scotland. She is currently preparing an Economic Development plan for 2008-201, in partnership with the private sector and over the past two years has engaged with some1200 local businesses to ensure their needs and expectations are reflected in the plan.

Prior to taking up this post, Rita was Head of Economic Development of Aberdeen City Council for four years.

As Head of Economic Development, she had responsibility for marketing the city of Aberdeen, locally, nationally and internationally, the delivery of a £1.5 million scheme of financial assistance to businesses, Inward Investment and International Trade Development.

Her career in local government, which began in 1992, was preceded by a 7year period of owning a sales and marketing company whose client list included the Ford Motor Company, and a large international hotel chain. She speaks fluent French and Spanish

She is married with two children, aged 23 and 20. Time constraints allowing, her hobbies include running, hill climbing and Roman history.

Jeff Steynor - University of Edinburgh

Jeff Steynor is in the 4th year of a Master course in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

Having mostly been trained in the dockyard as a “Jack of All Trades”, he decided at the age of 21 to return to education in pursuit of Renewable Energy. The combination of electrical and mechanical was chosen in anticipation of the scope of work in the renewables industry. During his degree course, Jeff has spent summer vacations working for the Bermuda Electric Light Company. He is presently in the middle of a Shell UK internship as part of the degree course after which he hopes to emerge with a First degree in June 2009.

David Still


 

Christoph Stiller - Postdoctoral Researcher - NTNU

Christoph Stiller holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Munich University of Technology and a PhD from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Since 2001 he is with Munich-based Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik (Strategy and technology consultants for sustainable energy and transport systems). His main fields of work are hydrogen infrastructure and energy system modelling, and he has contributed to various hydrogen roadmap projects. Since 2006 he is on part-time leave for a Postdoctoral fellowship at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology within the project “NorWays – Providing decision support for the introduction of hydrogen into the Norwegian energy system”.

Liv Monica Bargem Stubholt - State Secretary - Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum & Energy

Work experience:

2007-	State secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Energy
2005-2007	State secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2000-2005	Partner, law office Bugge, Arentz-Hansen & Rasmussen (BA-HR)
1997-2000	Project Manager, Norsk Investorforum
1993-2003	Guest Lecturer in Community Law for the Master of International Business programme, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration
1995-1997	Political Adviser to the Centre Party Parliamentary Group (to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs)
1990-1995	Associate/advocate, law office Bugge, Arentz-Hansen & Rasmussen (BA-HR)
1990	Trainee, European Commission (Legal Services), Brussels
1987-1990	Associate, law office Jens B Heggemsnes and Bredo Stabell

1987	Graduate degree in law, University of Oslo
1989	Studies in European community law, University of Oslo
1999	Studies in computer law, University of Oslo

Member of the board, Statnett SF Member of the Disciplinary Council for the Oslo branch of the Norwegian Bar Association Deputy member of the board of the Institute for Social Research Anti-Money Laundering Co-ordinator (BA-HR) Supervisory Committee Anti-Money Laundering (appointed by the Ministry of Finance) Committee of State Secretaries on International Strategy for Social Corporate Responsibility Contributor to the aquaculture periodical Aquatic and the fisheries periodical Kystmagasinet

 

Kenichi Suganuma - Consul General of Japan

Kenichi Suganuma, Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh – a post he has held since August 2007. After graduating from the Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo, Mr Kenichi Suganuma joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978. His previous postings include, among others, Director, International Energy Division, Economic Affairs Bureau; Director, OECD Division, Economic Affairs Bureau; Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organisation in Vienna; Minister, Head of the Economic Department, Embassy of Japan in Russia; Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Singapore; Deputy Assistant Vice-Minister (Crisis Management), Deputy Director-General, Consular Affairs Bureau; and Deputy Director-General for Global Issues, International Cooperation Bureau.

Nick Summers - Head of Utilities Section; Services, Transportation & Safety Unit, Health and Safety Executive

Nick Summers joined HSE in 1989 as an Inspector of Health & Safety. He also spent 5 years in HSE's Policy Group on work related to hazardous substances and the Disease Reduction Programme. Until July 2007 Nick was project manager for a joint HSE/Local Authority initiative aimed at reducing accidents and ill-health in the logistics/supply chain sector. Nick is currently Head of HSE's Utilities Section and his team have Operational Policy responsibility for a range of industries and topics including domestic gas safety, telecommunications, water & sewage, postal services and electricity generation/distribution. Nick is based in HSE's Northampton office.

HSE is working closely with the BWEA, both directly and through its H&S Steering Group, on a number of issues. In a new and rapidly developing sector such as wind energy, engagement of this kind is a vital stage in the process towards achieving consensus as to what constitutes good practice.

Harald G Svendsen - Research Engineer - Econnect Ventures Ltd

Norwegian. MSc in theoretical physics from Oslo University, worked 1/2 year as mathematics teacher, PhD in theoretical physics from Durham University (UK), two years as junior scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam (Germany) - before changing direction to engineering/renewables and joining Econnect Ventures in Hexham in June 2007.

Richard Tarboton - Head of Energy & Carbon Management - BT

Richard Tarboton is Head of Energy and Carbon management for BT. His team have overall responsibility for BT’s energy and carbon strategy and for energy trading operations across all BT businesses. BT purchase 0.7% of the total energy supply in the UK and are the largest buyer of green electricity.

Richard is currently directing the BT wind project, which is the largest wind power project by a company outside the energy sector.

Richard’s team are leading a number of projects across BT to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon by 2016 from 1996 levels. BT has been ranked top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index seven years running, and was awarded top sustainability company in the UK at the 2007 Business in the Community awards

In 2006, Richard undertook a senior level secondment to the UK Government to lead the development of the Government’s climate change strategy for local authorities. Previously, as head of the transport energy business unit of the Energy Saving Trust, Richard delivered the environment transport programme for Government. In this role, he was responsible for leading government investments in low carbon vehicle technologies and for rolling out business services to fleets across the UK to reduce their carbon footprint.

Richard previously worked in strategy consulting for Arthur D Little and Navigant consulting, where he managed renewable energy projects for clients including Shell and BG group. He also served as Managing Director for Project WorldTalk; a social enterprise to help people in rural communities obtain internet based information over telephone.

Richard holds an MBA from Cranfield Business School UK, and an Engineering Degree (first class) from WITS, South Africa.

Mike Thornton - Energy Saving Trust, Scotland

Mike is married with one 13 year old daughter. He was born in 1958 in Purley, London. He holds a First Class Honors degree in Genetics from the University of Nottingham. Originally heading for a life of academic research as a PhD student in ecological genetics, studying grasshoppers in East Anglia, Mike diverted into the commercial world, specifically computing. He became a systems analyst with what is now Rowntree in York and then a software research engineer for the same company.

Mike has always had a strong interest in the environment and eventually he changed careers, moving to Scotland as Development Co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth (Scotland) in 1987. From 1990-2002, he was the first Director of LEEP (now Changeworks), a regional NGO working in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Borders and Fife on energy efficiency, transport and recycling.

In 2002 Mike became head of the Energy Saving Trust’s Scottish team based in Edinburgh. At that time the team consisted of three staff, it has since risen to 18 as the Trust has developed and delivered major new carbon saving programmes for the Scottish Government.

Iain Todd - Renewable Energy Consultant - AREG

Iain Todd is a chartered engineer, who has worked in both the private sector and the Civil Service. He has held senior posts in the Health and Safety Executive, the Department of the Environment, and the Department of Trade and Industry, mostly on energy-related issues. Between 2002 and 2004, Iain was Director of Renewable Energy at the DTI. As such, he was responsible for the first two years of the Renewables Obligation, financial programmes of £300m, and initiatives to grow a UK renewables supply chain.

In June 2004 Iain returned to the private sector, and now works as a renewable energy consultant. Much of his time is given to his role as Renewables Champion to the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG).

Chris Tomlinson - Director of Programme Strategy - BWEA

Chris Tomlinson is the Director of Programme Strategy at BWEA where he has worked for over 5 years. Having qualified in Town & Country Planning in 1996 Chris went on to spend nearly 6 years working in local government in the field of planning, project management and urban regeneration. He moved to BWEA in January 2002 as the Head of Planning before his role evolved to take on the full range of onshore issues which resulted in establishing a 4-strong Onshore Team dealing with planning & development issues at a national and regional level. Chris then led the creation of a new re-strengthened BWEA as the Director of Operations, devising a strategy and establishing a new staff and support group structure to enable delivery. He is now the Director of Programme Strategy within the new organisation, heading up the critical policy developments across wind, wave and tidal technologies with the aim of securing a positive and robust regulatory framework to deliver a thriving industry. Chris continues to offer strategic political and communications support to BWEA, while managing the 10-strong Programme Team.

Dr.ing Tore A. Torp - Adviser CO2 Storage, Research Centre Trondheim, Energy & Environment - Statoil

Tore A. Torp joined Statoil in 1984, coming from the steel industry. He was educated at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim in 1968, with a PhD in material sciences same place in 1972. 1984-96 he lead large international R&D cooperation projects developing complex offshore field technologies. Since 1997 he has been project manager for Statoil CO2 storage R&D projects; first organising the SACS R&D project following up the Sleipner CO2 injection, later cooperation with a series of European and overseas CO2 storage R&D projects. He has been vice chairman for the CSLF Technical Group, and was also a "lead author" for the IPCC Special report on CO2 Capture and Storage." Recently he has been supporting the European Technical Platform ZEP – Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants.

His present position is “Advisor CO2 Storage”, leading the storage part of Statoil’s R&D programme on CO2 Capture and Storage.

Robert Trezona - Head of Research and Development - The Carbon Trust

Robert Trezona is Head of Research and Development at the Carbon Trust and has responsibility for Carbon Vision, the Applied Research Open Call and the new Directed Research programme. Robert is a materials scientist by training and has worked in fuel cells for Johnson Matthey and Ceres Power Ltd, and in strategy consulting for McKinsey & Co. He has been leading the Carbon Trust’s work on advanced bioenergy since April 2007.

Marcus Trinick - Partner - Bond Pearce LLP

Marcus is a partner having specialised in planning and environmental law for more than twenty years and he is particularly well known for his work in the renewable energy sector. He has appeared as advocate at almost 370 public inquiries and has advised on many planning applications and appeals concerning mineral, housing, retail, industrial, energy and tourism developments.

He has been involved in the development of the wind energy industry and has advised on more than 220 renewable energy projects in the UK and Europe. He has particular interests in the law and practice relating to nature conservation, noise emissions, electromagnetic effects and the application of EU environmental law to UK development projects. Marcus has lectured on renewable energy development in England, Wales, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Germany and the United States.

Marcus has also advised on a number of biomass and energy from waste projects, as well as working on proposed landfill site project teams. He has advised DTI on a number of matters relating to the legal aspects of the commercialisation of renewable energy developments.

Recent experience includes:

• Wern Ddu – advising and conducting the advocacy at a public inquiry to determine an appeal for an onshore wind farm in Wales (5 turbines). This was a ground breaking inquiry decision which was a direct test of the Welsh Assembly's new renewable energy policy for Wales.
• Den Brook – advising and conducting the advocacy at a public inquiry to determine an appeal for an onshore wind farm in Devon (9 turbines). This was the first televised wind farm inquiry.
• Teesside – advising on the first offshore wind farm to obtain consent in North East England (30 turbines) which is next to a European designated Special Protection Area.
• London Array – advising on this major proposal which is to be the largest offshore wind farm in the world (271 turbines).
• Harestanes – advising ScottishPower in relation to this 71 turbine proposal in Dumfries and Galloway which received consent following a public inquiry.

Marcus has higher rights of audience in the High Court in all proceedings and in other courts, in all civil proceedings.

Marcus is a board member of the British Wind Energy Association and is a legal associate member of The Royal Town Planning Institute. He is an external lecturer on energy law at the Centre for Renewable Energy Studies at Loughborough University.

Marcus is recognised as a leader in his field by Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession 2008. Chambers cites client comments describing him as “the best” … “broad spectrum of advisory and advocacy abilities” … “understanding of clients’ needs, great judgement at all levels and nice personality” … “fantastic reputation”.

Legal 500 2007 says Marcus is ‘highly rated for his expertise in renewable energy … is particularly well thought of … has an outstanding reputation, and is recognised by clients as “one of the most reliable advisers in this area”’

Career

1991 Partner, Bond Pearce

1990 Solicitor, Bond Pearce

1983 Qualified

1981 – 1983 Articles Bond Pearce

Queen's University, Belfast BA (Hons) economic and social history

Brendan Turvey - Policy and Advice Officer - Renewables - Scottish Natural Heritage

Brendan started his career in renewables 8 years ago with Enviros consulting where he worked on windfarm EIAs across Scotland. He then moved to the Business Environment Partnership in 2002 where he worked to promote small scale renewable energy amongst businesses, including wind, biomass and hydro projects. He also established the Hydrogen Office project, one of the most innnovative renewables / hydrogen projects in the UK, currently being built in Methil, Fife. Brendan joined SNH in March 2007 and works on renewables policy issues across SNH.

Bruce Valpy - Director - BVG Associates Ltd

Bruce Valpy has more than 20 years of experience in the wind industry, having held significant R&D positions within Vestas, NEG Micon and UK’s Wind Energy Group, including steering the design of large offshore-ready turbines. Bruce founded BVG Associates Ltd in early 2005 growing a diverse client base including the market leaders in the wind turbine and tidal turbine sectors, British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), UK Government, utility providers, multi-nationals and private companies on four continents. Bruce remains hands-on in the industry providing technical expertise regarding conceptual design, testing, field experience and practicalities for a wide range of turbine and components for the wind and ocean current sectors. Bruce’s long experience in the wind industry also enables him to provide strategic business development assistance to a range of new entrants to the wind industry. Bruce also leads supply chain development activities in the wind industry for the UK Government and acts on The British Wind Energy Association’s (BWEA) working groups on offshore wind delivery, R&D and skills.

BVG Associates is a technical consultancy providing expertise in the design, implementation and economics of fuel-less renewable electricity generation systems.

The purpose of BVG Associates is to help establish fuel-less renewable electricity generation as major, responsible and cost-effective partner in a balanced global energy portfolio.

Henning von Barsewisch - Managing Director - REpower UK Ltd

Born in Hamburg, Germany in May 1969, Henning graduated from the Technical University of Berlin with a Masters in Industrial Engineering and holds a Masters in Management from the Toulouse Business School (Ecole Superieure de Commerce), France.

After graduating, he worked as a Management Consultant with Bain & Company in Munich, Germany developing and implementing corporate strategy. In 2001, he joined Helm Tool Inc. in Chicago, USA, as Vice President Business Development. Henning was involved with REpower UK from its inception in 2003 as Managing Director when he moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. He has led 3rd largest supplier of wind the company’s development to becoming the 3 turbines in the UK in 2006 with over 120MW.

In 2007, Henning was elected as a director to the board of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA).

Mikio Waki

1984-2002
FUJITSU Japan
Manufacturing and Technology Assessment of Mobile Communication-related

2003
Established Wits Ltd. as a Manufacturing Coordinator

2006 - Present
HYPER DRIVE Corporation

Assumed the position of COO & CTO when HYPER DRIVE was established
Research and Development of Power Generation Systems and Acoustic Systems Using Electro Active Polymer Artificial Muscle (EPAM)

2007
Won the Best Paper Award in EcoDesign2007 (5th International Symposium on Environmental Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing) December 2007, Tokyo

Elaine Waterson - Strategy Manager - Energy Saving Trust

Elaine is the Energy Saving Trust’s Strategy Manager for the Devolved Administrations and responsible for the Trust’s policy activities relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. She has been with the Energy Saving Trust since 2001. Before moving to the Energy Saving Trust’s office in Scotland in late 2005 she worked as the Energy Saving Trust’s Strategy Manager for Energy Efficiency, working on a variety of energy efficiency projects, primarily related to fiscal measures, education, the Energy Efficiency Commitment, fuel poverty, and health. She has authored the Energy Saving Trust’s publications ‘Changing Climate, Changing Behaviour – Delivering Energy Saving t hrough Fiscal Incentives’, and ‘The role of education and schools in shaping energy-related consumer behaviour’, and more recently, has been responsible for the delivery of the Energy Saving Trust’s recent Scottish report ‘Generating the Future: An analysis of policy interventions to achieve widespread microgeneration in Scotland’.

She has a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Environmental Technology.

Mike Weston -Operations Director -London Bus Services Ltd

Mike Weston is TfL’s Operations Director. After graduating from Loughborough University in Transport Planning and Economics Mike joined London Transport in 1985, initially in network planning and then moving on to other areas such as management of bus contracts and infrastructure. Mike became Head of Operations in 2003 and in August 2004 Mike was promoted to Operations Director which widened his responsibility. He now manages the delivery of bus operations, safety and the environment for Surface Transport, and is also responsible for managing the business units of Victoria Coach Station, London River Services, Dial-a-Ride and East Thames Buses.

John Westwood - Chairman - Douglas-Westwood

At the first All-Energy in 2001 John Westwood forecast a dramatic rise in oil and consequently all other energy prices. Then again in 2005 with oil at $50, in an interview by the Wall Street Journal he stated, “Recent oil prices are just a practice for the real thing”.

Now, with $110 oil and non-OPEC reserves depleting, Russian production at peak and global demand still growing are we approaching the much-discussed “peak-oil”? And at these high oil prices can renewable energy compete for limited supply chain resources and sufficient investment?

“A top offshore analyst” Oil & Gas Journal

John Westwood is a noted commentator on the energy industries, interviewed on channels such as BBC, Bloomberg and CNBC, plus Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal and regional media worldwide. With a technical background he worked in the North Sea oil industry, has formed three energy-sector companies and sold two.

He has spent the past 18 years heading industry analysts Douglas-Westwood Limited which has completed over 500 projects since its formation in 1990 and has provided information and advisory services to clients in 37 countries. Although the firm has clients amongst governments, energy majors and their contractors, it primarily provides services to investment houses – in the past year alone it has advised on supply sector merger, acquisition and financing deals across four continents totalling nearly $10 billion.

Malcolm Wicks MP - Minister of State for Energy

Malcolm Wicks was appointed Minister of State for Energy on 29 June 2007.

Mr Wicks was previously Minister of State for Science and Innovation (November 2006 to June 2007) and, before that, Minister of State for Energy (May 2005 to November 2006) at the Department of Trade and Industry.

Before joining DTI, Mr Wicks was Minister of State for Pensions (June 2003 - May 2005) and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work (June 2001 - June 2003) at the Department for Work and Pensions and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Lifelong Learning at the Department for Education and Employment (appointed July 1999). Mr Wicks was the Chairman of the Education Select Committee from 1998 until his appointment as a Minister. He has been Member of Parliament for Croydon North since 1992.

Mr Wicks was educated at North West London Polytechnic and the London School of Economics. Between 1974 and 1977, he was a university lecturer and from 1968 to 1974 a social policy analyst at the Home Office. He was Director of the Family Policy Studies Centre before entering Parliament. He is the author of several books and reports on aspects of the welfare state.

Mr Wicks has been a member of the Social Security Select Committee. His Private Member's Bill, now the Carers' (Recognition and Services Act), came into force in April 1996. From 1995 Mr Wicks was the Opposition spokesperson on social security.

Mr Wicks is married with three children. His recreations are music, walking and gardening.

David Williams - Chief Executive - British Hydropower Association

David Williams has been the Chief Executive of the BHA since January 2006. Previously he was seconded to UK Trade & Investment (the UK Government overseas trade support agency) as an Export Promoter for Hydropower In this position he assisted export business and promoted companies in the hydropower sector. In 2004 he was also appointed as a Visiting Professor of Engineering to the University of Edinburgh.

From 1964 to 1995, he served in roles of increasing responsibility for Gilbert, Gilkes & Gordon Ltd, manufacturer and supplier of water turbine generating equipment, ultimately overseeing sales and marketing for the Small Hydropower market worldwide.

He then established and managed a regional office in Kuala Lumpur covering South and South East Asia. He was elected as a Council Member of the British Hydropower Association in 2000 and has served on the Council of the International Hydropower Association since 2001.

Nigel Williams - National Grid

Nigel is an Electrical Engineer by background and after graduating, spent 5 years on oil/gas exploration crews worldwide. He joined National Grid in 1989 and has worked his way thro (and survived) the operational and control-room environments. He joined New Business Development in 1992 and has since spent 8 years on overseas postings in Asia, Latin America and the USA on power and telecoms ventures. Nigel returned to the UK in 2003 and was Director of the BETTA project until Go-Live in April 05. He is now the Customer Services Manager in Commercial, Transmission with responsibility for all of National Grid’s Gas and Electric Connection Contracts and also for gas and electricity tariff setting and recovery of regulated income. Nigel is a Chartered Engineer and has a Masters degree in Engineering Management.
 

Dr Glen Wilson BEng (Hons), PhD - Harrison Goddard Foote

Glen obtained a first class honours degree in Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, winning both the best project and best overall student prizes in his final year. Glen then worked as a Design Engineer in the field of off-road vehicles for Terex Equipment Limited.

Following this, Glen completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Strathclyde University. His PhD project, under the Postgraduate Training Partnership (PTP) Scheme, investigated the crashworthiness of vehicle side impact beams. The PTP project, sponsored by Ford Motors, included industrial placement and Glen was primarily based at the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL), East Kilbride. The PTP scheme also included substantial training in business skills.

Glen then entered the Intellectual Property profession, where he worked for a wide range of clients, small and large, in the fields of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering. He has particular expertise in the fields of automotive engineering, the oil and gas sector and renewable energy technology.

Glen has been involved in a high number of European patent opposition cases, which included attendance at opposition oral proceedings.  Glen also handled a significant number of Trade Mark and Design cases.

He has a particular interest in IP Management, to provide the best commercial and strategic advice to clients on building and maintaining strong IP portfolios.  This has included a number of IP reviews and Audits for clients, some of which were carried out on behalf of the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Glen also enjoys face-to-face interaction with IP Managers and inventors. He has given many IP presentations to clients, students, and groups of inventors. He has also written articles on IP for journals and newsletters.

Glen became a registered UK Patent Attorney in 2005, a registered European Patent Attorney in 2006, and has recently become a registered Irish Patent Attorney.

Glen joined HGF in 2007 to help build up the practice in Glasgow.

Malcolm Wilson – University of Regina, Canada

Malcolm has a degree in Geology from the university of Nottingham and post-graduate degrees in palaeontology from the University of Saskatchewan. Following 20 years with the provincial government in Saskatchewan, Malcolm moved to the University of Regina to promote the Energy and Environment centre of excellence at the University.

Malcolm’s primary focus over the last 15 years has been the development of policy and technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This has included initiating the research component of the IEA Greenhouse Gas Programme Weyburn CO2 Monitoring and Storage project, being part of the creation and expansion of the University’s International Test Centre for CO2 Capture and formation of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative. Recently Malcolm was involved with others in the creation of the IPCC Special report on carbon capture and storage – part of the IPCC team that won the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007.

Andrew Winship - UK Hydrogen Solution Manager - The Linde Group

Andrew graduated from Leeds University in 1989 and has spent the majority of his career in chemicals and energy business. He worked for BP at their research and development centre at Sunbury-on-Thames looking at combustion processes before joining Total (formerly Elf Oil UK). At Total he was responsible for providing technical support to the downstream refining and marketing operations. Andrew joined BOC in 1998 and has had varying roles in product development and technology sales and marketing to the oil refining sector. In 2006, he took over responsibility for BOC/Linde’s UK hydrogen solutions business activities. He is a chartered member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and has an MBA from Warwick University Business School.

Magnus Wolfe Murray - Development Director - RESET

Magnus has been working in the field of community development and emergency / disaster response since 1990. Initially with an NGO he founded in Edinburgh to work in Romania and later Bosnia, establishing community-based reconstruction and water-supply programmes, developing methodology that was later adopted by the UN and international donors as models for major reconstruction programmes after the war. In 1997 he graduated with a MA in Post-War Recovery Studies from the University of York and went on to work with NGOs in the primary health care sector across East Africa, then Liberia and Indonesia. Since 2004 he has been an advisor for the United Nations on matters of internal displacement and community development, primarily in Liberia and the Maldives. In 2006 he started a MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies as the University of East London / Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales, which led him to set up RESET, to share sustainable energy and construction systems with the aid and international development community.

Dr Jeremy Woods - Lecturer - Porter Alliance & Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London

Dr Jeremy Woods is a lecturer in bioenergy at Imperial College London where he leads the sustainability assessment component of the Porter Alliance and is a member of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology. He has developed research interests into the interplay between development, land-use and the sustainable exploitation of renewable and non-renewable resources, in particular biomass energy. He is a member of the:

• Royal Society’s Working Group on Biofuels
• The Greenhouse Gas Expert Advisory Board to the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels
• Advisory Board of the UK’s Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA)- Biofuels Review
• Board of Trustee’s for the Environmental Law Foundation (www.elflaw.org)
• Board of Trustees for Plan Vivo (www.planvivo.org) - a system for managing the supply of verifiable emission reductions from rural communities in a way that promotes sustainable livelihoods.

Research Activities:

• Scientific coordinator of the EU funded 'Competence Platform for Energy Crops - Africa (COMPETE)' Network.
• Coordinator NERC’s QUATERMASS ‘Quantifying and Understanding the role of bioenergy and avoided deforestation’ project, a part of its QUEST programme.

Recent work has included collaborating on assessments of the Sustainability of Co-firing and of renewable transport fuels for UK-DTI and of the potential for sugarcane based energy in southern Africa. He is a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and helped to produce a framework 'International Bioenergy Platform.' He recently became chairman of the UK-Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment, which is a national member of the ICSU- hosted global SCOPE network on science and the environment. For the last 11 years, he has also been working on the use of sweet sorghum for bioenergy production in the EU, Africa (Zambia and Zimbabwe) and Asia. He lectures on the Environmental Technology and Policy MSc at Imperial College London. He is also a director of Themba Technology Ltd (www.thembatech.com), a UK-based company which aims to promote the use of renewable energy both locally and internationally.

John Woods - Vice President of Energy Development - Minas Basin Pulp & Power

John Woods is an electrical engineer, graduating from Dalhousie University in 1970.

John has spent his entire career in the energy industry including employment in an electrical utility, a consulting engineer, a consumers advocate for the electricity industry, and as a wind developer with Suez Energy.

John is currently the Vice President of Energy Development at Minas Basin Pulp & Power, a company with a decades-old history of sustainable development in Nova Scotia. Minas is currently building North America's only ocean instream energy demonstration facility and John is here to talk about it.

Douglas Wright - CEO - RES UK & Ireland

Douglas Wright is CEO of RES UK and Ireland. He has 25 years experience in energy and utilities having worked in both the electricity and gas sectors. In addition to working in the UK, Douglas has undertaken a number of roles in the USA. He has worked in the renewables sector for a number of years.

Martin Wright – Managing Director - Marine Current Turbines Limited

Martin is one of the founders of Marine Current Turbines Limited and joined the company full-time in February 2002.  He has an M.A. (Hons) in Economics form Edinburgh, and an M.Eng in Petroleum Engineering form Heriot-Watt.  He started his career as a Seaman Officer in the Royal Navy where he completed a short service commission serving in a variety of ships culminating an appointment as Executive Officer of a Minehunter. Prior to joining MCT he worked for nine years as a Venture Capitalist with Murray Johnstone Limited, and then latterly with Northern Venture Managers Limited where he was responsible for starting and developing NVM’s business in the South of England.

Martin has corporate finance skills and commercial experience spanning a wide breath of industries developed whilst working as a venture capitalist, and as a director of investee companies.  In particular he is very familiar with the issues involved in early stage technology companies.  Renewable Energy had been a particular interest for a number of years prior to becoming involved with Marine Current Turbines. The technology, environment and stage of the company represented a natural fit for his background and experience.

 

icated cleantech division of the BP Group). In this role he is responsible for investing in early and growth stage cleantech businesses of strategic relevance to the Group. He serves on the Board of a number of the companies within the venture portfolio. His team is also responsible for spinning out and incubating new businesses resulting from BP’s global university partnerships. Mr Adams joined BP plc. in 2003 as Director of Long Term Technology working for the Chief Scientist. He led the development of the Group’s Long Term Technology Strategy laying out a strategic roadmap to 2030 and supported the initial set up of the Hydrogen Energy, biofuels, distributed energy and clean coal businesses.Prior to joining BP Mr Adams was the founder and CEO of High Power Lithium a Swiss company developing next generation battery materials for hybrid electric vehicles in collaboration with Toyota. He was also an advisor to Konarka Technologies, a Massachusetts based start-up, developing next generation solar cells utilising conducting polymers and nanostructured materials. Before this he worked as a consultant with Arthur D. Little, ultimately leading the Advanced Energy Systems practice in Europe, delivering strategic and techno-economic consulting on emerging energy technologies to many of the world’s leading energy majors, and supporting technology start ups develop commercialisation pathways.

 

Kerry-Ann Adamson - Manager - Fuel Cell Today

Kerry-Ann has over ten years experience in the fuel cell industry and specialises in transport and distributed generation applications for fuel cells. She has worked with both the private and public sector on a variety of fuel cell projects, with a regional focus mainly on North America and the Rest of World region (excluding Europe and Asia). Prior to running Fuel Cell Today Kerry-Ann worked as its Deputy Editor. She has also worked at the Technical University of Berlin and gained a PhD from Imperial College of Science and Technology, London on the socio-economics of fuel cell technology in the transport sector.

Dr Daniel Aklil - Managing Director - Pure Energy^TM Centre

Dr. Aklil is Managing Director of Pure Energy^TM Centre, Chairman of the Institute of Engineering and Technology North Network, Director of the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and Executive Member of the Nordic network for sustainable energy systems in isolated locations. Dr. Aklil has over 10 years experience as a Non-Executive Director to SMEs with principal area of expertise in strategic direction, business planning and strong deployment of financial controls.

Irene Allcroft - Director - Douglas-Westwood Ltd

Irene joined DWL as a Director in 2008 . She has over 20 years international business development and operations experience in the energy sectors, having worked in the US, the Far East, and more recently Qatar. She spent an initial 12 years in the oil and gas industry, primarily providing market analysis and business cases for investment in new technology , products and service lines for major companies. She has spent the last 5 years working with young renewable energy technology companies in the wave, solar, fuel cell and tidal sub-sectors on their business, investment and market entry strategies. During this time she has acted as a strategic adviser to The Carbon Trust on its Low Carbon Technology Business Incubation Programme and has undertaken numerous studies into the markets and barriers for new low carbon /renewable energy technologies for public sector, private sector investors.

Dr Frank Allison - Business Development Manager - Manchester Bobber

Frank started his career in the steel industry, successfully completing a four-year Structural Engineering apprenticeship. After working for a further year as a structural engineer for British Steel Plc, Frank went to university in Sheffield gaining an honours degree in Materials Engineering incorporating a year in the USA as project manager of a team responsible for the development and production of forged super alloy products. This was in both the space and aerospace industries, working closely with customers including NASA and major aircraft manufacturers.

Frank returned to the UK and completed a PhD and postdoctoral position in Materials Science/Physical Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, researching metallic and polymeric nano-biomaterials.

In 2004 Frank joined The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP), with a remit to manage the commercialisation of a portfolio of technologies arising from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science.

Frank has been involved with The Manchester Bobber since conception and is currently seconded into the company to manage all aspects of the commercialisation of the technology.

Colin G Anderson - Consulting Engineer

Originally from Aberdeen, Colin’s involvement in renewables began in 1981 as a postgraduate researcher with the Edinburgh Wave Power project. He moved to the wind energy sector in 1985, working as a design engineer with Howden Wind Turbines in Glasgow, then later as a Research Fellow at Edinburgh University Physics Department. In 1995 Colin was involved in setting up Aerpac UK Ltd, a manufacturer of large wind turbine blades in Fife, where he served as Technical Director until 2001. Since then he has been a self-employed consulting engineer engaged on various wind, wave, and tidal projects. His recent wind energy work has included the Gigha community windfarm in Argyll, and wind turbine installations at Mackies Ice Cream Dairy and Balquhindachy, both in Aberdeenshire.

Virginia Anderson - Corporate Development Manager - Scottish Community Foundation

Virginia joined the Development Team in 2007 as Corporate Development Manager. Originally she was a Grants Officer at the Scottish Community Foundation, having worked previously as a fundraiser for Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland. She came to the not-for-profit sector after ten years of volunteering and is still involved with the boards of two community organisations.

The Scottish Community Foundation is an independent grantmaking charity, matching donors with causes. The Foundation’s vision is of strong successful communities – a Scotland where quality of life is enhanced for all. Since 1996 over £16 million has been awarded to community groups and grassroots charities in every corner of Scotland. The Foundation connects people, ideas and resources to make a lasting difference in Scotland.

The Foundation is currently working with a number of communities and companies across Scotland on their Community Benefit programmes. Details of these are available from www.scottishcf.org

Keith Arbuthnott

Business – ‘Rural land management’ ie diversified estate with farming, forestry, tourism and wood fuel pellet enterprises.  Self-employed.

Place of work:  Arbuthnott Estate, Nr Laurencekirk some 22 miles south of Aberdeen. Lived & worked there since 1976.

Some previous (public) appointments – Member of Grampian health Board 1992-1996,  Chairman, Scottish Rural Property & Business Association 2005-2008

Interests – photography, good food and wine, skiing, family.

Megan Arnold - Account Manager - GE Wind / Chair of the BWEA Offshore Wind Delivery Group

A business practitioner focussing on sustainability in industry studied Social Science in Adelaide, Human Relations and Safety & Occupational Health Management in Sydney Australia. Employment history includes; Business Development for UK renewable energy company, SLP Energy, project co-ordination for Brazilian multi-national, Odebrecht Oil and Gas, campaign development and planning for Greenpeace in Australia and China and retail business management for a cancer charity. She has held directorships for a sporting organisation in Australia and a renewables agency in the UK.

Megan is employed as an Account Manager for GE Energy’s Wind division with responsibilities for sales of GE wind technology in Northern Europe and assisting the global growth of GE Energy projects and developments.

Megan is currently the chair of the British Wind Energy Association’s Offshore Delivery Group.

Duncan Ayling - Head of Offshore - BWEA

Duncan Ayling joined the BWEA in December 2007 to take the position of Head of Offshore responsible for representing the BWEA members’ interests relating to offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. BWEA is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with over 350 corporate members, BWEA is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK.

Prior to BWEA, Duncan worked for AEA Technology as the Monitoring Director for the UK Government’s wave and tidal R&D programme which funds a portfolio of marine renewable energy projects.

Duncan is an experienced project manager with many years of work in marine environmental research. He changed career direction to offshore renewables by returning as a mature student to study a Masters degree in Offshore and Ocean Technology at Cranfield University.

Ben Barton – Offshore Manager (Wind Farms) – The Crown Estate

Ben joined The Crown Estate in September 2006 to take the role of Offshore Wind Farm Manager, with responsibility for delivery of the wind farm sites allocated in UK waters under leasing rounds 1 & 2. Ben is the landowner’s point of contact with the wind industry and manages the process of granting site agreements followed by leases as the projects progress through the development cycle. Ben also represents The Crown Estate at a number of industry, government and stakeholder groups.

Before joining The Crown Estate, Ben worked for npower renewables as an offshore wind developer. In this role he had responsibility for the post-construction environmental monitoring of the North Hoyle offshore wind farm and pre-construction monitoring for the Rhyl Flats project, together with a contribution to the consent applications and EIA preparation for the Gwynt y Môr project. Ben is also an experienced data manager and GIS user, and was responsible for the maintenance of npower’s offshore renewables GIS. Prior to joining npower renewables, Ben was employed by the University of Southampton’s GeoData institute where he worked on a wide range of environmental, energy and educational projects.

John Best - Chief Executive Officer - EEEGR (East of England Energy Group)

Personal / Career History
John joined the Merchant Navy aged 16 and trained as a navigator, traveling the world over the next eight years with Bibby Line, qualifying as a First Officer – Foreign Going. In 1980 he came ashore and set up a business called Odd Job, spending almost a year as a general handyman.

John’s involvement with the offshore oil and gas industry began as a Chartering Clerk with Wimpey Marine at Yarmouth, running supply vessels to offshore rigs. Over the next six years he was promoted to marine manager.

In 1987, John returned to college and studied accountancy. He left college planning to complete his studies while working for a small accountancy practice in Norwich but in 1991 joined Wimpey Waste at Yarmouth, which became UK Waste. During this time he also took the role of Managing Director of the family retail pharmacy, following the sudden death of his father, which was sold after 8 years.

Over the next nine years he rose to become UK general manager for the industrial services division, overseeing 60 staff and a £3.5m annual turnover, with his depot awarded Top in the UK out of 60 locations, on two successive years in the process. The division was closed and John took up a high-profile post as area manager, based at Yarmouth in Norfolk’s Enterprise Partnership, a business-led partnership between Business Link, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Training and Enterprise Council.

EEEGR (East of England Energy Group)
John saw a significant gap in the energy industry – a lack of communication, identity, understanding and co-operation across the various sectors in the eastern region. Yet there was a massive commercial and economic base – not just for the main operators and contractors but for thousands of businesses in the supply chain. So John pioneered the development of East of England Energy Group, now better known as EEEGR, and became its chief executive.

With a small team (of one!), he launched EEEGR in March 2001 and built it into a powerful voice representing and promoting the whole energy sector in the region. His diverse background meant he brought considerable experience.

His single-minded approach means relentless legwork to take him anywhere he feels there is a message to be delivered, communicating with those he knows can influence the industry, and championing the region’s energy skills across the globe.

His persuasion has steered EEEGR membership to 300 – ranging from international giants like Shell, British Energy and EDF Energy to the smallest supply companies. Keeping members on one wavelength is vital and John has created a close-knit community through two major conferences a year, dozens of events which encourage networking, a comprehensive website, a quarterly magazine and regular e-bulletins.

He was instrumental in creating the Skills for Energy group, under the EEEGR umbrella, bringing together industry, education, sector skills councils and training groups to successfully tackle head-on a shortage of young talent. His inventiveness prompted EEEGR’s Mapergy, a single-click web guide that allows companies across a previously disparate industry to locate or trade with each other. And he founded the EEEGR Innovation awards, encouraging members with groundbreaking ideas and inventions.

In 2007 John, nominated by his team, was awarded with the Individual Contribution Award at the Trade Association Forum’s Best Practice Awards for outstanding contribution in the Trade Association Sector.

Additional Business Achievements
He was a founder member of EABEC (East Anglian Business Environment Club - 1993), has served as a crew member on Gorleston lifeboat and is chairman of the east coast’s ( England) number one local radio station The Beach. John is also a trustee of Norwich-based training organisation Petans and “energy champion” for the i10 collaboration of universities and colleges in the East of England.

Chas Booth - Association for the Conservation of Energy; and Friends of the Earth Scotland

Chas Booth joined Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Association for the Conservation of Energy as their Parliamentary officer in October 2005. Prior to that, he worked for Sustrans, the leading sustainable transport charity. He is a graduate of Edinburgh University, where he studied Social Policy and Politics, and has worked in both the Scottish and European parliaments. He lives with his wife Clare in a nineteenth century colony flat in Leith, which is proving quite a challenge to insulate properly.

Dr Elaine Booth - Non Food Crops and Oilseeds Specialist - SAC (Scottish Agricultural College)

Elaine is the Non Food Crops and Oilseeds Specialist at SAC (Scottish Agricultural College).  She has worked on a range of projects studying the agronomic and economic feasibility of non food crop and bio-energy over 19 years of research and consultancy work with SAC. 

Elaine led SAC’s recent studies on the economic evaluation of biodiesel production from oilseed rape grown in N and E Scotland and also a review of the potential for on-farm processing of various non-food crop products for National Non Food Crop Centre.  She co-ordinated SAC’s contribution on a SEERAD funded study recommending actions for Energy from Crops, Timber and Agricultural Residues in Scotland and has undertaken several studies, funded by private companies and also by UNIDO to determine the feasibility of biofuel and appropriate feedstock in Ireland, Azerbaijan and Albania.  Recent work has also considered an Environmental Impact Assessment for biodiesel in Ukraine and a current study is considering engagement of customers for sustainably produced Scottish biodiesel. 

Elaine manages SAC oilseed's trials for variety testing and agronomy and she also runs trials for plant breeders testing disease resistance, new varieties and crop types.  She co-ordinates the North UK Oilseeds Consultative Committee which provides recommendations on appropriate varieties for the North.  Part of Elaine's role is to give advice to farmers and rural businesses on oilseeds varieties, agronomy, bioenergy and non-food uses.  

Elaine is an agriculture graduate of Aberdeen University.   Aside from SAC, she is general partner of her family's farming business based near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire and is a Board member of the SEPA North Region Board.

Sarah Boyack MSP

Sarah Boyack has represented Edinburgh Central constituency in the Scottish Parliament since 1999 having been re-elected in 2003 and 2007. She is also Scottish Labour's spokesperson on the Environment, Rural Affairs and Climate Change.

Sarah was born in May 1961 in Glasgow, but brought up in Edinburgh where she was amongst the first female entrants at Royal High School.

She went on to study at Glasgow University gaining an MA Hons. in Modern History and Politics and then a Diploma in Town and Country Planning at Heriot Watt University.

Then followed the post of Planning Assistant with London Borough of Brent (1986-88), returning to Scotland for the post Senior Planning Officer with Central Regional Council (1988-92). From 1992 to 1999 Sarah was a Lecturer in Planning at Edinburgh College of Art/ Heriot Watt University.

Sarah was appointed by Donald Dewar to the first Scottish Cabinet as Minister for Transport, Environment and Planning serving from May 1999 to November 2001 during which time she introduced free bus travel for elderly and disabled people in Scotland and improved energy efficiency standards for social housing. In the first session of the Scottish Parliament she also sat on the European and Audit Committees.

Between May 2003 and January 2007 she served as Convener of the Environment & Rural Development Committee where among other things she chaired its Inquires into the Food Chain, Biomass and Climate Change before being appointed Deputy Minister for the Environment & Rural Development serving until May 2007. She also sits on the Labour Party's Scottish Policy Forum.

In November 2004 she received the RSPB Goldcrest Award for the greatest contribution to the development of environmental policy since devolution and in December 2005 was named the Scottish Renewables Best Politician

Charles Bradshaw-Smith - Head of Innovation - E.ON Engineering

Charles has spent the last 6 years in the energy sector leading change management programmes of a strategic nature, including customer-led marketing, value-based management, and now technology commercialisation (current focus being microgeneration and marine). As the energy supply representative of the UK Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Homes task group, Charles has recently been recommending changes to UK Government’s definition of Code for Sustainable Homes. Prior to his time in the energy sector, Charles ran his own business providing IT change management to blue chip companies and floated a business on AIM. He has also worked with NGOs on environmental campaigns.

Chris Brett - Hydro Manager – Inter Hydro Technology

Chris Brett has been a Hydro Engineer since 1994, including six years as Hydro Sales Manager with Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd. He is responsible for providing mechanical and electrical engineering input to projects being studied and managed by Inter Hydro Technology / R G Parkins & Partners Ltd. Chris has a wealth of experience in small hydro gained from travelling world wide specifying appropriate solutions to project developers and providing input to economic analysis of small hydro projects.

James Brown - Skills Director Scotland -Energy & Utility Skills

James Brown was born in Dundee Scotland and now lives in Perth with his wife and two children. James started his career as a Vehicle Technician with Scottish Gas in 1981 and later moved into the Further Education field, working at, Perth College, Stevenson College and Elmwood College. His role here also involved working with various stakeholder including the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) and City and Guilds, the role also included employer engagement with involvement in various skills competitions

In 2000 he moved to MITC, the automotive National Training Organisation, which later became a Sector Skills Council working as the National Manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In April 2007 James joined Energy & Utility Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the electricity, gas, water and waste management industries - also the lead Sector Skills Council for Renewables. Using his past experience of employer and stakeholder engagement he now works with major utility organisations and the contractor base to understand and assist with their skills needs.

Adam Bruce - Head of Sustainable Development - Scottish and Southern Energy

Adam Bruce is Head of Sustainable Development at Scottish and Southern Energy. Until Airtricity's acquisition by SSE in early 2008, he was that company's UK Chief Executive. He was elected to the board of the BWEA in May 2007, and was appointed Chairman the following month. Adam qualified as a solicitor in 1993, and practised in London, Brussels, Edinburgh and St. Andrews. From 1998 to 2006 he was Director of McGrigors Public Policy, the UK law firm's regulatory and public affairs practice. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and son. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, a member of the Executive Committee of the SCDI, a Trustee of the Policy Institute, and a Writer to the Signet.

Ken Bruder - Head of Global Business Development - New Energy Finance

Ken is Director and Head of Business Development for New Energy Finance and New Carbon Finance.   He oversees the deployment of a full suite of research and data services for investors in clean energy technologies and the carbon markets.  

Ken brings to his work at NEF nearly 20 years of consulting experience in the financial services, energy and technology sectors. Previously he was Senior Director for the Financial Service Practice of the Corporate Executive Board, where he also served as Practice Manager for research in the financial services sector. Prior to this, Ken was Senior Vice President for Kaiser Associates where he specialised in benchmarking and competitive analysis in the energy, manufacturing and technology sectors.

In his earlier life, Ken served as a submarine-qualified officer aboard nuclear submarines after which he served on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon.

Ken has an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He graduated with honors from Colby College in the US with majors in Chemistry and Economics and was selected as a Senior Scholar for his work in emissions regulations. He is also a graduate (with honors) of the US Naval War College.

Bill Bryce - Director - Nuclear Industry Association, Director - Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd

Bill graduated from Glasgow University with BSc and MSc in aeronautical engineering. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He has spent all of his working life in the power business mainly as a Director in Doosan Babcock. In his early years he was responsible for the Company’s Research & Development, but for almost 20 years was the Company’s Director of Nuclear Business and is retained by Doosan Babcock on nuclear matters, particularly on strategy for new build.

He was heavily involved in the major contribution that Doosan Babcock made to Sizewell B and the lessons to be learned from that project.

Bill has been a Director of the UK Nuclear Industry Association for many years serving on working groups and committees to promote nuclear energy and to ensure that the views of contractors, large and small, are heard. He served as Interim Chairman prior to Lord O’Neill becoming Chairman. He currently chairs the NIA New Build Working Group which has examined the capability of British industry to deliver a nuclear new build programme. He continues to address the issues surrounding new build and promoting UK industry.

David Cameron - Chief Technical Officer - Scottish Renewables

David Cameron is Chief Technical Officer at Scottish Renewables, a post he took up part way through studying and MSc in Renewable Energy at the University of Dundee. David’s previous life was spent mainly in vehicle development at Nissan – working on - dare we say - sports cars and 4x4s. His interest in renewables was fired up on reading about the Fyne Homes development Chrannag on the island of Bute. David sees renewables not just as away to positively contribute to climate change but in supporting security of energy supply and industry expansion.

Jeremy Carnell - Senior Health & Safety Consultant - PMSS

Alison Cavey - Partner - Orion Innovations LLP

Alison is a founder member of Orion Innovations, a specialist consultancy that provides strategic and operational support to new ventures and growth-phase businesses with a particular emphasis on the clean energy and environmental sectors. Orion Innovations offers a broad range of services that help businesses to define their critical paths during the early stages of development and provide practical support as they grow.

Alison is an environmental engineer by training and has 15 years of technology, strategic and business experience gained in both consulting and industry. She has consultancy experience with four of the largest management and engineering consulting groups in the UK where she worked globally for national governments, IFIs and Fortune 500 companies.

In 2000, Alison was part of the founding team of a new energy technology company and spent three years developing and expanding its strategic, commercial and operational capabilities. Since forming Orion in 2004, Alison has gained significant practical experience of other new venture start-ups in the low carbon and environmental sector and has been actively involved in a number of new businesses, including acting as Interim Managing Director for an environmental technology spin-out for a leading UK University. She has worked with a number of organisations in the low carbon sector providing strategic and commercialisation support to new ventures. These include the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Programme and the Scottish Enterprise Energy Technology Centre. She has also worked widely with public sector organisations in the development of regional initiatives relating to the commercialisation of new energy technologies.

Alison has a BSc (Hons) Natural Environmental Science (1st Class) from Sheffield University and an MSc in Water Pollution Control Technology from Cranfield University.

Julian Chafer FRICS - Head of Safeguarding - Defence Estates

After spending four highly educational years at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth and two highly enlightening years at the Royal Agricultural College Julian joined the MOD in 1990 and in 1992 became a qualified rural practice chartered surveyor. Soon afterwards he abandoned the Hunter-wellies-and-chocolate-labrador lifestyle and looked for other opportunities in the MOD.

In the years which followed Julian has been involved in a wide range of MOD estate work including being property manager of former RAF Greenham Common; selling the old Admiralty Compass Observatory at Ditton Park near Slough; and negotiating leases in overseas locations including Naples, Nairobi, Kathmandu, and Moscow (it was a tough job but someone had to do it!).

As Defence Estates’ Head of Safeguarding Julian has overall responsibility for protecting MOD establishments across the UK and offshore areas used for training, exercises etc. This includes statutory safeguarding around certain specified sites as well as wind energy safeguarding across the whole country.

Dr David Clarke - Chief Executive - Energy Technologies Institute

Dr David Clarke joined the Energy Technologies Institute as Chief Executive in January 2008 from his previous role as Head of Technology Strategy at Rolls-Royce plc.

David has been involved in collaborative research and development of advanced technologies for over 20 years, leading a range of research groups including Rolls-Royce’s Advanced Materials development activities and its corporate Strategic Research Centre. With the latter group he led Rolls-Royce’s evaluation and development of new technology opportunities in fields as diverse as fuel cells, electrical propulsion technologies and advanced computational diagnostics. At Rolls-Royce, he was responsible for development and management of the Company’s global research strategy. This included the company’s multi-million pound University-based research programme at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centres in the UK, North America, mainland Europe and Asia.

He has been a member of the EPSRC Council and is a member of the North West Science Council. David graduated from the University of Surrey in 1984 with a BSc in Materials Technology, and subsequently completed his PhD in Composite Materials at the University of Surrey in 1988. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials and a Chartered Engineer. www.energytechnologies.co.uk

Roger Coppock - Policy Advisor, Business Development - Forestry Commission Scotland

Roger is a forester with 28 years experience in the industry. He heads up Forestry Commission Scotland’s business development policy team. He was the Secretary of the Wood Fuel Task Force, which reported to the Minister for the Environment in January this year. Formerly, he was Forestry Advisor to The Scottish Forest Industries Cluster. The Cluster has worked with companies and individuals of all sizes across Scotland to stimulate development within the industry, and in downstream utilisation including bioenergy. Prior to working with the cluster team, he was in charge of production forecasting with Forest Enterprise (FE) the then operational arm of the GB Forestry Commission, and was part of the team which designed and built the multi-award winning Forester GIS. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, and is a member of the Institute’s Council.

Ian Cowe – Biomass Development Officer – Forestry Commission Scotland

Ian recently joined Forestry Commission Scotland as the Biomass Development Officer. His post has been created to promote and support the use of woodfuel in Aberdeen City and Shire. Aberdeenshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and Forestry Commission Scotland are funding partners in the new post.

Ian has come with an extensive experience of supporting biomass installations through Forestry Commission Wales’ Wood Energy Business Scheme. Specialising in woodfuel production and supply, Ian was previously working to improve techniques of wood chip production/drying and methods of yielding woodfuel from forest harvesting residues.

For more information please contact the Grampian Conservancy office, Forestry Commission Scotland, on 01466 794542 or visit www.forestry .gov.uk and www.usewoodf uel.co.uk.

Jeremy Cresswell - Editor 'Energy' and Chairman of AREG

Originally studied law (Law Society England & Wales - College of Law, Braboeuf Manor, Guildford) but dropped that ambition in favour of 12+ years in fishery development and commercial fisheries/light marine contracting. In particular, was a member of the White Fish Authority, later Gwynedd Oysters/Seed Oysters UK team that in the late 1960s/early 1970s developed the hatchery-based system for the commercial farming of oysters that became the standard for Europe.

Established, in parallel in 1975, fishing/light marine contracting business Venture Cresswell. Skipper/owner of various fishing vessels to 53ft.

Researched the fishing vessel construction capability of Scotland in 1984, work that was at the time adopted by the then Scottish Development Agency. Retains long-standing interest in maritime history, especially fisheries and has written on the subject since 1973, plus has extensive phot-archive.

Since 1985 has worked primarily as an award-winning energy/maritime affairs journalist/editor/analyst, mainly for the Scottish newspaper The Press & Journal, but contributing to many other business and energy-oriented titles. Is a past editor of World Fishing and first editor of Scottish Fishing Weekly.

Is founder and current editor of The Press & Journal Energy Monthly supplement.

Author/co-author of a variety of reports and publications, including Scottish Enterprise energy annuals 1997 through 2001 and extensive collaboration with economists Mackay Consultants.

Author of Black Gold and the Silver City – a history of the Balmoral Group/diary of North Sea oil

Author of Tide and Time, history of the George Craig Group

Author of Conversations with North Sea Moguls … published Sep 2005

Co-author of various Mackay Consultants economic reports such as: World Offshore Oil & Gas Report – 2004-2008; Mediterranean & Black Sea Oil & Gas Report 2004-2008; and Study on the Impact of Climate Change Policies on National Oil Companies – 2007.

Became an Associate of Mackay Consultants 2007

Co-author of three 3i Thought Leadership papers on energy

Joint author of paper: Managerial Perceptions of the Business Environment within the Energy Service Industry: Cross-National Comparisons of China, Singapore and Malaysia. Publication imminent

Chaired many conferences and seminars; including Baird maritime conferences in Australia, Singapore and Italy (also presented market analyses of Offshore Support Vessel markets at said events); Subsea UK events; member of steering committee for the 2004 LOGIC North Sea supply chain conference

A customer of Aberdeen Business School - The Robert Gordon University … early/mid 1980s for a Post-graduate Diploma in Management (DMS), then mid 1990s to read for an MBA

Carried out ground breaking MBA research at Aberdeen Business School during the mid 1990s into the potential impact of offshore oil and gas on the Faroese business community.

Responsible for drawing together an influential group of public and private sector Aberdeen business community leaders late 1999 leadning to creation of the successful Scotland Energy Opportunities Conference series, no known as All-Energy.

Chairman of the Aberdeen City Council-initiated private-public partnership … Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, which has an ambitious long-term agenda mapped out, including the imaginative Energy Futures Centre for Aberdeen, construction of a windfarm offshore Aberdeen and founding of a joint-Chair in Renewables between The Robert Gordon and Aberdeen Universities

Director of Aberdeen Bay Windfarm Development Company

In 2001 Co-opted onto the Scottish Enterprise Grampian working party that drew up the successful North-east bid for Scotland’s new Energy Intermediate Technology Institute based in Aberdeen

In 2006 co-opted onto the Scotland bid for the UK-Energy Technology Institute bid, a process that is ongoing

In 2006 appointed as a non-executive director of The Robert Gordon University spin-out company UVPS

On management committee of the Institute of Energy (ex IP) Aberdeen branch

Made a Burgess of the City of Aberdeen – December 2005

Neil Daly – Director – Hamilton Consultants

Neil Daly is a Director of Hamilton Consultants, one of the UK’s leading recruitment consultancies specialising in the renewable energy industry.

Neil has more than 10 years recruitment experience in the utilities industry having worked for clients in the energy, nuclear and water industries worldwide. Neil focuses on assignments across the renewable energy sector handling Board level and other senior appointments.

Neil’s early career began in the BBC where he worked as a news journalist for both TV and radio. He has a Masters degree in Philosophy and Theology from Glasgow University.

Glen B. Darou B.Com CA - President and CEO - Clean Current Power Systems Incorporated, Vancouver, BC

Since 2003 Glen Darou has been the President and CEO of a Vancouver based Canadian controlled private company whose team of engineers has invented, developed and tested a turbine generator that efficiently produces electricity from tidal currents. His business and financial experience includes 16 years senior executive experience with two major international resource sector corporations. As Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Shell Canada Limited and later as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Cominco Ltd., he directed the overall financial affairs of these companies. He is experienced in leading, training and developing multifunctional teams.

Glen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carlton University and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia.

Glen has a continuing interest in business education. He has served as a Director of Junior Achievement of Canada and Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta. He also served on the Management Advisory Council of the business faculty of the University of Calgary (now the Haskayne School of Business) and on Faculty Advisory Board of the University of British Columbia (now the Sauder School of Business). Glen’s association with the University of British Columba led to his appointment as Executive in Residence at the Sauder School of Business.

Born in Perth, Ontario his career has taken him to Ottawa, Toronto, London England, Calgary and finally to Vancouver. Glen is married to Louise, and has three adult children and two grandchildren.

Eric Dodd - Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company

Eric has been working in the Community Sector for 6 years across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland through the HIE Community Energy Unit and Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company. He has seen a massive growth in communities interested in developing their own community energy projects and has taken great pleasure in assisting to develop this important sector of renewables. Eric has come from a background of electricity having worked in the commercial side for both SHE and ScottishPower along with a two year period working in the Electricity industry in New Zealand.

Ian Draisey - Director - Dulas

Dulas is one of the UK’s leading independent renewable energy companies, working both in the UK and overseas to the highest quality and ethical standards. In 1982 Dulas began designing and producing solar powered vaccine and blood storage fridges for use in Africa (this remains a significant part of business today). Today, Dulas’ services range from environmental impact assessment and planning consultancy for large developments to electronic and electrical engineering, project management and system specification for custom installations. Dulas also provide a range of renewable energy products, services and training.

As part of this renowned Wales based renewable energy company, Ian Draisey takes overall responsibility for marketing activities and sits on the board of directors for this forward thinking worker-owned cooperative. He is passionate about renewable energy and carbon reduction and has years of hands-on experience dealing with renewable energy installation projects. Following a career lecturing in International Marketing and Industrial Studies, Ian is now responsible for business strategy, company vision and departmental marketing initiatives at Dulas. Ian trained in Birmingham, working in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter supporting SME’s in the take up of new information technology, following his degree in Industrial Information Technology.

Ian also heads up The Low Carbon Partnership, a consortium which is a framework supplier for the DTI’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme phase two. The Low Carbon Partnership (TLCP) is a consortium of the UK’s leading providers of solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, and small-scale wind systems. The Consortium is led by Dulas Ltd, in partnership with Sundog Energy Ltd. The partnership brings a wealth of experience in renewable energy to the Low Carbon Buildings Phase 2 program. TLCP has a huge depth of knowledge; the partners have approaching 50 years combined experience, over 1400 PV and wind installations and over 6000 solar thermal installations. The expertise within the consortium is second to none; each company, in its own right, has an excellent reputation for quality, safety and competitiveness.

Clive Dyson – Chief Executive, St. Andrews Fuel Cells Ltd and Managing Director, Clarizon Ltd

Clive Dyson is currently managing two start-up companies that are commercialising innovative solid oxide fuel cell and electrochemical ozone generation technologies.

He has over 20 years’ experience of technology commercialisation and business development in the semiconductor, electrochemistry and other high-technology industries. He has successfully taken more than 10 hardware, software and consultancy products to market.

Previously he was Technical Director at GEC Plessey Semiconductors’ CMOS fab in Plymouth and subsequently managed its ASIC business unit. In 1997 he established the National Microelectronics Institute for the UK semiconductor industry and developed it into a valued industry body. Since 2003 he has led early stage technology companies and carried out consultancy on product introduction, marketing and commercialisation for corporate clients. This has included the spin out of a bioinformatics company which recently listed on AIM.

Clive has advised the EPSRC on manufacturing strategy, a range of government agencies on education and training for technology industries and negotiated a Climate Change Agreement for the UK semiconductor and electronics industry.

He has a Natural Science degree from Cambridge University (UK), a PhD from Southampton University and an Executive MBA from Bath University. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the IET.

Arnaud Été - Renewable Energy Associate - SgurrEnergy Ltd

• Engineering studies in France (Ecole des Mines de Nancy) until 2005
• MSc at the University of Strathclyde “Energy Systems and the Environment”
• I have then been offered a KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) Associate position: partnership between the University of Strathclyde and SgurrEnergy. This project started in October 2006 and finishes in 4 months. My presentation at the H208 describes the work achieved during this project.

Tim Evans - Managing Director - Renewable Zukunft Ltd & Bio-G Biogastechnik GmbH

Following agricultural college, Tim Evans trained as an accountant before joining Bidwells in Cambridge as an agribusiness consultant. He later joined the Lloyds Bank Group, based in South West England as an agricultural finance specialist before moving with his family to former East Germany in 1989 following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

During almost 15 years in Germany he developed a 3,000ha arable farming and contracting business along with two 250 cow dairy units and a grain storage business and began to take an interest in the principals of Renewable Energy production and sustainable farming techniques.

Tim was particularly impressed by the general level of public awareness and interest for environmental issues in Germany and with the growing demand for alternative energy sources, he became involved in the management team of the first Biodiesel plant to be built in East Germany. The plant was commissioned in 1998 and Tim moved on to work on one of the first East European Biogas plants to be run on cattle manure and energy crops.

Since returning to the UK, Tim has become a leading protagonist of Renewable Energy in the UK and is a regular contributor at conferences and in the press. He has become a strong advocate of decentralised Renewable Energy production and represents the Austrian based, European Centre for Renewable Energy at events in the UK.

In 2006, working with 6 fellow farmers and entrepreneurs, Tim formed the UK based specialist Renewable Energy Company “Renewable Zukunft”.

Renewable Zukunft specialises in sourcing, supplying, facilitating and operating Renewable Energy systems primarily from Germany & Austria. The company offers a range of solutions for heat and electricity generation using state of the art plant oil and biogas technology, solar heating, cooling and photovoltaics.

In 2007, Renewable Zukunft joined forces with Okoenergie Utzenaich GmbH forming “Bio-G Biogastechnik GmbH” to develop and market the award winning “Energy Ring” biogas system which Tim and his colleagues now operate in the UK.

Dr J Mike Farley - Director of Technology Policy Liaison - Doosan Babcock Energy Limited

Dr Farley has worked with Doosan Babcock and its predecessors since 1974, initially within the Research & Development Department and later in the Technology Centre, becoming Director of Technology in 1998 and Director of Technology Policy Liaison in 2002.

Dr Farley represents the company on the Advanced Power Generation Technology Forum and is a member of the Government’s Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technology. (Both these groups were very active in the preparation of the UK government’s Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy for Fossil Fuel Power Generation.)

He is a member of the recently formed Coal Forum , the Energy Research Partnership , the UK Trade Investment’s Power Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) and, in Scotland , Chairman of the Industrial and Power Association (IPA). He is Chairman of the TUC/DTI/DEFRA Task Group on Clean Coal , and represents the company on the Technical Committee of the European Power Plant Suppliers’ Association and the Advisory Committee of the European Technology Platform for Zero-Emissions Fossil Fuel Power Plant.

Dave Farrier - Director - British Wind Energy Association

Through his role as a Director of the British Wind Energy Association, Dave works with representatives of organisations having interests in wind, wave and tidal projects to promote higher standards of health and safety across these renewable sectors. As chair of the BWEA Health and Safety Steering Group, Dave has been successful in raising the profile of H&S at a time when the volume of UK activity has been increasing, and ambitious future growth predictions are being targeted.

Dave, who now heads the business Improvement function of E.ON Climate and Renewables in the UK, has extensive experience in the development of onshore and offshore wind farm schemes, having led the project development activities of E.ON (formally PowerGen) for a number of years.

He is a mechanical engineer by training, with a diploma in accounting and finance, who moved into the renewables scene in 1994 following career experience across a range of other power generation technologies including nuclear, fossil and hydro.

John Ferguson - Waste and Resources Strategy Manager, SEPA

John Ferguson works for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency managing the Waste and Resources Strategy Unit. John’s ideas were a major influence in the development of the National Waste Strategy in Scotland.

A graduate in biochemistry of the University of St. Andrews he first became involved in waste management in 1990 working as a Recycling Officer in Perth. At that time he was an advisor on recycling to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Through his work with Perthshire he developed a growing interest in the management of wastes as a resource. He passionately believes that the emphasis requires a fundamental change from waste management to resource management believing that in the future, progressive economies will be those that are resource as well as fiscally efficient

John was a founder member of the Recycling Advisory Group Scotland, as well as playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the first REMADE group in UK. He is an accredited programme manager and holds the Cambridge University Programme for Industry Diploma in Cross Sectoral Partnership Development for Sustainable Development. He is a member of the Scottish Centre Council for the Institute of Wastes Management and is a Chartered Environmentalist. He also sits on the Network of European Environment Protection Agencies Special Interest Group on the emerging Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Sustainable Consumption and Production agendas.

He believes that it is only by partnership working and bringing together all interested parties and expertise that Scotland’s waste industry can be made fit for the 21^st Century and wants to see Scotland being a European leader rather than follower in resource management.

Richard Ford – UK Grid Connections Manager – Renewable Energy Systems

Richard is a Chartered Engineer with over 20 years experience in the electricity industry.  In a unique career he has been involved in all aspects of grid issues working for network companies, suppliers, generators, regulators, trade associations and renewable developers.  An authority on grid Integration issues he has presented at major conferences across Europe and was the first proponent of the “connect and manage” approach for the connection of generation.

Nick Forrest - Nick Forrest Associates Ltd

Nick Forrest is a former financial journalist and environmental consultant, whose MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems from Edinburgh University led to his current role as a renewable energy advisor.

His company delivers hydro and wind feasibility studies for rural businesses and households. Nick’s unique surveying model identifies all financially viable sites within a catchment where hydro schemes could be installed. He is currently undertaking a survey of the whole of Scotland using his unique programme – “HELP” (Hydro Electric Location and Planning) for the Scottish Government. Nick is a member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

Ian Gallett - Chief Executive - Society for Underwater Technology

Ian Gallett is the Chief Executive of the Society for Underwater Technology, an international learned society dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge and ideas in all aspects of subsea technology. After gaining a degree in Physics and conducting research into electromagnetic propagation, he joined the Royal Navy in 1973 where he became a metocean specialist. His main concerns were in operational oceanography and acoustics, particularly the effects of the ocean environment on long range passive sonar detection. Before leaving the Navy in 1996 with the rank of Commander, he was responsible for setting Royal Navy policy in the collection and use of oceanographic data, and their application in acoustic modelling. He has been with the Society for 12 years.

Dr Rupert Gammon – Director - Bryte Energy

Dr Rupert Gammon is a director of Bryte Energy, which is a consultancy that designs, implements and operates integrated hydrogen and renewable energy systems as well as carrying out strategic studies for low-carbon energy technologies. Rupert is Chair of the British Midlands Hydrogen Forum, a director of the UK Hydrogen Association and participates in expert panels for Tasks 18 & 24 of the International Energy Agency’s Hydrogen implementation Agreement. He serves on the London Hydrogen Partnership’s Infrastructure & Renewables working group and is also a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Renewables Energy Systems Technology at Loughborough University.

Rupert co-founded Bryte Energy in 2005 with two colleagues with whom he had worked during their PhD studies at the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) at Loughborough University, where he had formerly gained an MSc in Renewable Energy Systems Technology. The team had worked on the Hydrogen and Renewables Integration (HARI) project, which was conceived by Rupert and was the first of its kind in the UK. He had previously worked as a freelance consultant, partly in the field of sustainable energy, but more predominantly in the oil, gas and mineral exploration industries. Before that, Rupert worked for an architectural consultancy, having gained his first degree in 3D Industrial Design (Eng) at Leeds Polytechnic.

David Gardner - Head of Ventures - Scottish and Southern Energy plc

David Gardner is currently Head of Ventures which was established in February 2007.

David has worked within the SSE organisation for 21 years working in various roles within the fields of hydro, CCGT, CHP, and both onshore and offshore wind projects for the. Prior to his involvement with Ventures business David was responsible for the SSE Major Projects onshore wind-farm construction team which during the four year period delivered some 160MW of capacity.

David was instrumental in the establishment of Ventures Capital during 2007 and has seen the business grow significantly in this time. In its first year of operation the Ventures Team completed direct equity investments in eleven different businesses in the Cleantech sectors totaling £47M. In addition to these equity investments, as a corporate investor, the business has also provided up to £13M of project finance, and has agreed contracts of £20M to the investee partners.  David expects the Ventures business to extend its involvement beyond the cleantech sector and is also currently considering international interests in North America, Europe and China. David is currently a director of Vital Energi which is one of SSEs cleantech investee businesses.

Ross Gazey - Engineering Director - Pure Energy Centre

Ross is the Engineering Director of the Pure Energy Centre and is responsible for the technical delivery for all the projects at the Pure Energy Centre. He is also a Member of the Executive committee for the Shetland Renewable Energy Forum and has over seven years experience in renewable and hydrogen technologies.

Dr Mary Gillie - EA Technology Limited

Dr Mary Gillie has been involved in energy systems since she modelled and designed a control system for a wind farm and a controllable generator for her PhD. Since then she has worked at EA echnology in the New Energy Technologies Team developing active network management for electricity systems, microgeneration, hydrogen and fuel cells. She is the UK representative for the IEA Hydrogen implementing Agreement Task 18.

Stuart Graham - Engineering Director - ReGenTech Ltd

Stuart Graham is the Engineering Director and one of the founders of ReGenTech Ltd in Aberdeen the company responsible for the design, installation and commissioning of the BHA Eco 5 house. As a graduate Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Aberdeen University he has become one of Scotland's leading hydrogen and fuel cell engineers in Scotland. Stuart was principal design engineer at siGEN prior to joining ReGenTech and was intimately involved with most of siGEN's groundbreaking hydrogen and fuel cell projects. Stuart has led and was the principal architect on the the BHA Eco-5 heating, hydrogen and renewable energy systems design, assembly, installation and commissioning.

Elaine Greig - Senior Project Manager - AMEC Wind Energy

Elaine Greig is currently leading AMEC Wind Energy's (AWE) Edinbane project on the Isle of Skye, following The Highland Council's successful defence of the project under Judicial Review. Elaine has previously managed projects in Scotland at various stages of development, from initial discussions to application, to post-consent and during sale. Elaine Greig was AWE’s Grid Connections Manager and Electrical Engineer from 2001 until recently. Elaine joined AWE from consultancy. She has degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Durham Business School.

John Griffiths - Technical Director - EMEC

John is a chemical engineer, with forty-one years experience as a General Manager; Consultant, Project Manager & Engineering Manager as well as in a range of Operational and Technical roles in: Marine Renewable energy, Oil & Gas Facilities – Design, Operational & Project Management, Contracting (Engineering and Construction on and offshore) and Consultancy & Studies. John is a non-Executive Director of EMEC and executes contract roles relating to development of Management Systems, leadership of the Standards Project and some site development activity.

Key positions: Principal of JWG Consulting Ltd (1999-present); Director Business Development AMEC – London (1995-97); Director of Engineering and Computing at AMEC -London (1992-95); Chief Production Engineer, British Gas E&P Companies (1983-86)

Dermot Grimson - Head of UK Government Relations - Shell International

Dermot was appointed Head of UK Government Relations in January 2007. He is responsible for managing relations with the UK Government and external stakeholders such as NGOs and think tanks. He represents Shell on a number of external organisations.

Born in Glasgow, Dermot joined Shell in 1999, initially working at the Fife NGL Plant at Mossmorran. From 2001 to 2004, he was responsible for stakeholder relations at Shell’s exploration and production business in Europe. In 2004 he was appointed Head of UK External Affairs. Dermot is an urban planner and has worked in the private, public and NGO sectors in this capacity prior to joining Shell in 1999.

Gareth Harrison - Senior Lecturer - School of Engineering & Electronics, University of Edinburgh

Dr Gareth Harrison is a Senior Lecturer in Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh.

His research activity spans a wide range of disciplines which include climate change impacts on electricity systems; renewable energy generation and electricity network planning; security assessments of gas and electricity network interdependence, power system economics and carbon footprints of renewable technologies. He is deputy Director for an MSc programme in Sustainable Energy Systems, teaches on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and is the academic lead on the Royal Academy of Engineering interdisciplinary course on hydropower design.

Dr Harrison is a Chartered Engineer, a member of both the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and is an Affiliate of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Mike Hay - Technology Acceleration Manager - The Carbon Trust

Mike joined the Carbon Trust to head up their new offshore wind technology acceleration programme in November 2007. In this role he is responsible for delivering large scale projects in areas where accelerated innovation could have a material impact on reducing the cost of energy. Previous to this he spent four years at BWEA, latterly as Head of Offshore Renewables with overall responsibility for the Associations work on offshore wind, wave and tidal stream energy. During this time he oversaw lobbying activity on future rounds for offshore wind, financial support for wave and tidal stream and many other aspects of offshore renewable energy project development. Before joining BWEA Mike worked on the DTI/Carbon Trust Renewables Innovation Review. Mike has an MSc in Environmental Technology with Energy Policy from Imperial College London and an MA in Geography from the University of Aberdeen.

Dr Pernille Holtedahl - Consultant, Energy & Environment - Innovation Norway

Pernille Holtedahl has a Ph.D in economics and has over 10 years of experience working in the energy sector. Her background includes consulting, academia and government, and she now works for Innovation Norway in London, supporting Norwegian renewable energy companies in entering the UK market.

Bob Hunt - Head of Engineering - C-MAC MicroTechnology

Holds the position of Head of Engineering for C-MAC MicroTechnology and is based in Great Yarmouth, UK

Directs the activities of the R&D team developing new and advanced technologies and products for the business. Also manages the Product Engineering team providing engineering and test for custom products and technical support to manufacturing

Graduated with BSc (Hons) and MSc in electronic engineering and has a career spanning over 25 years in mcroelectronic and optoelectronic circuit and package development.

Principle expertise is with Hi-Rel, military and aerospace products and application.

Christopher Hunt - Managing Director - Riverstone Holdings LLC

Christopher Hunt is a Managing Director of Riverstone. He is based in London.

Mr. Hunt has nearly 20 years experience in renewable/alternative energy, gas and power. Through the course of his career, he has developed, constructed, financed and/or operated renewable and conventional energy businesses in over 25 countries involving more than 30 GWs of power capacity. Prior to joining Riverstone, Mr. Hunt was one of the principals leading the creation and growth of BP Alternative Energy, one of the world’s largest and most diversified renewable energy companies involving wind, solar, co-generation, gas/LNG power generation, biofuels, energy conversion and carbon sequestration businesses. While at BP, he was a principal architect in several strategic acquisitions and developments that positioned the renewable portfolio for significant profitability and future growth. He was also responsible for the development and operations of existing assets and served as Chief Executive, President or board member of several subsidiary companies.

Before BP, he has an extensive background in the energy sector. He was at Enron where he was responsible for the acquisition, development, operations and/or financing of a multi-billion dollar portfolio of 16 coal, gas, wind and distribution businesses spread across Asia, as well as some businesses in Latin America. Prior to Enron, he was a founding member of a privately held international private power company that developed multiple wind and gas-fired power assets across Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Mr. Hunt has served on multiple boards through the course of his career. He received his BA, with high departmental honors from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and his MBA, beta gamma sigma, from Columbia University. He has also completed various post-graduate training at Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Oxford Universities.

Paul Jordan - Business Development Director - Ocean Power Technologies Ltd

Paul joined Ocean Power Technologies Limited in October 2005 to head up their Business Development activities to progress existing, and secure new, OPT wave energy projects in the significant European markets.

Previously, Paul worked in the Innovation Programme at the Carbon Trust, developing new low carbon technologies. His primary focus was to set-up and run the Marine Energy Challenge programme, to assess marine energy technologies and establish the future growth potential for wave energy. Prior to the Carbon Trust, Paul was at Rolls Royce where he initially worked in Transmission and Distribution in the UK and then for Rolls-Royce International in Thailand carrying out business development activities. Paul then joined Rolls-Royce Power Ventures as Development Manager focusing on project development of 5MW to 150MW gas turbine and diesel engine power projects in the UK and Americas.

Paul graduated from Newcastle University in 1996 with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering (Europe), with Spanish as chosen language. In 2002 he completed an MBA at INSEAD, Paris.

Reijo Kemppinen - Head of the European Commission's Representation in the UK

As Head of the European Commission Representation in the UK, Reijo Kemppinen speaks to the public and the media for the institution and liaises with the UK authorities on all aspects of EU policy. But his task and that of the Representation he runs is not just to speak, it is also to listen and pass back to Brussels the views and opinions of those he meets and interacts with in his work.

A native Finn fluent in English and French, with Swedish and some German and Italian to his credit, Reijo began as a journalist in Finland, working for television and newspapers. He then moved to Brussels as a correspondent — working also for the BBC World Service — before returning to Finland where he coordinated the Government's communication activities during accession talks with the European Union and in an ensuing referendum campaign. After Finland joined in 1995, Reijo acted as spokesman for the Finnish Representation in Brussels and the Finnish Presidency of the EU. With the in-depth knowledge of EU affairs and experience he had built up in the interface between the media and the institutions, he went on to become spokesman at the Commission, first working for the UK Commissioner Chris Patten and later on for the Commission's President. In 2003 he became the chief spokesman of the Commission. He was appointed Head of the Commission's Representation in London in autumn 2005.

Mr Kemppinen has written several books about the EU, Belgium and Finnish politics and has scripted and directed several promotional films. He is a Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

Robert Kennedy - Operations Director - Manorlane Energy

Robert Kennedy is Operations Director for Manorlane Energy and is responsible for the development of renewable energy projects within the UK.

A civil engineer, Robert worked on major projects for 8 years before joining residential developer Bett Homes in 1998. He joined Manorlane in 2006 as Engineering Manager and took on the role of Operations Director January 2008.

Although a recent entrant into the renewable energy sector, Robert has already used his knowledge of project management & business experience to deliver commercially viable projects.

Committed to renewable energy (in particular Anaerobic Digestion & Fuel Cells), Robert believes that only by applying technology to current market conditions and making them financially viable will you secure mass market entry.

David Kerr - Severn Tidal Power Group

David Kerr is a civil engineer who has worked on a wide variety of civil engineering projects over a 40 year career. This has included road and rail, marine and offshore structures, and all forms of power station - coal, gas, nuclear and renewables. He has been involved in the development of Marine Renewables since the early 1980’s covering wave energy, tidal barrages, tidal stream and offshore windpower. He led the Civil Engineering studies for the Severn Barrage Tidal Power project in the late 1980’s and has been an advocate for the project ever since. He is a renewables enthusiast but also tries to instil some realism into discussions.

He is Chairman of the Energy Panel of the Institution of Civil Engineers and also is an Engineering Consultant to Sir Robert McAlpine.

Danielle Lane - Round 3 Project Manager - The Crown Estate

Danielle Lane works for The Crown Estate as Round 3 Project Manager. She is responsible for planning and implementation for the next round of leases for offshore renewables and with agreements associated with offshore transmission activities. Prior to The Crown Estate, Danielle spent 7 years working for Centrica, initially as a Commercial Manager specialising in transmission issues, and latterly as a Project Manager with responsibility for managing the development and consent of Centrica’s Round 2 portfolio.

Dr Johannes Le Roux (Jannie) Retief - Chief Operations Officer - Renewable Energy Holdings plc

After receiving a B.Sc (Mechanical Engineering) degree from the University of Pretoria (cum laude, 1974), Jannie won a Shell Scholarship which enabled him to study at Cranfield Institute of Technology in the UK where he received a M.Sc in Engineering (cum laude, 1978). He returned to South Africa and completed a doctorate in 1984.

Jannie currently lives in the Isle of Man (UK) where he is Chief Operating Officer for Renewable Energy Holdings PLC. (REH PLC)

REH PLC is, as an owner and operator of renewable energy power plants, currently engaged in wave energy transformation, wind farms, land fill gas, solar and gasification projects.

Jannie is ideally suited for the challenges that the relatively new field of renewable energy brings along. He spent the earlier years of his career designing, constructing and commissioning distilleries, after which he gained experience in the fields of accounting, IT and marketing. Subsequently he was mainly involved in “fixing” companies or with “start-ups”. He has travelled widely and has worked and lived in South Africa, the UK, the USA, Canada and currently the Isle of Man.

He holds various directorships, is a member of professional organisations and is currently on the Executive Board of the British Energy Association. He has been actively involved in education and published a number of technical articles over the years.

Jannie is very proud having received the South African State President’s award for export achievement and was the first South African to be honoured as a Jurade of the Order of St. Emillion in Bordeaux, France.

Jonny Lewis - Senior Consultant–Renewables - RPS Energy

Jonny Lewis is a qualified marine biologist who has 10 years post-graduate experience in marine environmental assessment.  He has contributed to and project managed Environmental Impact Assessment's for a wide range of marine developments, including marine aggregate applications, major port projects (London Gateway, Bathside Bay), coastal defence projects and marine renewables.  With respect to marine renewables, Jonny has worked on the following UK-based projects; Gunfleet Sands 1 and 2, London Array, Lynn and Inner Dowsing, Lincs, Cromer, Wave Hub and E.ON's Pembrokeshire Tidal Energy project.

Dr Paula Low - Senior Consultant – Renewables, RPS Energy

• Master of Research (MRes) degree in Ecology and Environmental Management
• Early career was primarily marine conservation, including:
  • 1.5 years in South-East Asia and the Caribbean working in coral reef management
  • Then 1.5 years working for CEFAS investigating climate change on North Sea & Irish Sea demersal fish stocks, and research salmon fisheries
• Completed a working PhD with the University of London, sponsored by SNH, which was to investigate the status of the wild oyster beds around Scotland and advise on management guidance.
• Consultant within the RPS Energy renewables team for over 12 months, working primarily on marine energy (wave and tide) but also offshore wind.
• Clients have included Open Hydro, ScottishPower Renewables, SubSea Turbines and the Crown Estate.

Anne Strommen Lycke - Head of Wind Energy - StatoilHydro

Anne Strommen Lycke is Head of Wind Energy for StatoilHydro responsible for all the company’s wind energy projects - both onshore and offshore. She is also Chairman of Scira Offshore Energy, the joint venture company developing the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm. Anne was previously the Asset Manager Hydro Langeled Project where she oversaw the construction of the Langeled gas pipeline from Aukra in Norway to Easington in Yorkshire, which supplies the UK with up to 20% of its gas.

Dr Ruairi MacIver - Project Manager (Renewable Energy) - Comhairle nan Eilean Sia

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (The Western Isles Council) is a local authority responsible for the chain of islands located roughly forty miles off the north-western coast of Scotland. The Western Isles are an Energy Innovation Zone, a designation that promotes the Comhairle’s commitment to the development of novel, low carbon, energy generation and usage.

Dr Ruairi MacIver is the Principal Officer responsible for developing and managing the Comhairle’s portfolio of renewable energy projects. These aim to harness the sustainable maritime, wind and bio-mass energy resources available to the islands to stimulate local renewable energy economic activity and to reduce the region’s dependence on imported energy.

The Hebridean Hydrogen Park is the Comhairle’s vision for demonstrating the potential of a hydrogen economy within the Western Isles. The presentation will highlight the achievements to date and proposals for future developments.

Dr MacIver has 14 years research experience in the physics of coastal flows at University College London, Imperial College London in the UK and University College Cork in Ireland. This knowledge has been used latterly to tackle issues relating to maritime renewable energy (wave and tidal stream). He took up post with the Western Isles Council in October 2007 and, amongst other things, is rapidly learning about the capabilities and possibilities of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells.

Dr Keith MacLean - Head of Policy and Public Affairs - Scottish and Southern Energy

Since completing graduate and postgraduate studies in Chemistry at Heriot-Watt and Hamburg Universities, Keith joined SSE in 1994 following a career in Germany and Scotland working in Research & Development and Business Management.

At SSE he has worked in a number of areas of the core energy business and was also responsible for starting-up and running its telecoms business from 1997 to 2004.

Since 2004 he has been responsible for energy and environmental policy and public affairs. He also has the company lead in sustainability policy - ensuring that SSE carries out its internal and external activities in a sustainable manner, taking a balanced view on the economic, environmental and social elements of its work.

Outside SSE, he is a member of the Executive of the Micropower Council as well as Director on the Board of the Scottish Renewables Forum (SRF). Keith is also Chairman of the Board at the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (UKBCSE).

In addition to this trade association activity he is a government advisor on reneawable energy policy and was appointed to the Renewables Advisory Board in December 2007 and also serves on the UK and Scottish Transmission Working Groups as well as the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland – a joint government and industry group set up to deal with all issues relating to the achievement of the Executive’s renewable energy strategy.

Maria McCaffery MBE - CEO - The British Wind Energy Association

Maria McCaffery was appointed Chief Executive of The British Wind Energy Association in June 2006. She is a graduate Chemist with a long track record in business support, international trade and national membership organisations. She is passionate about renewable energy systems and now champions the exploitation of the UK’s natural energy resources for electrical power generation, primarily from wind, wave and tidal technologies. With a strong focus in policy development and communications, she is engaging with industry, government and the finance sector to accelerate the deployment of all forms of renewable electricity.

Sue McDougall - Acting Chief Executive Officer - Renewable Fuels Agency

Sue McDougall is the interim Chief Executive of the Renewable Fuels Agency and has held this post since December 2007. Prior to that she was a consultant on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation Team in the Department for Transport working specifically on communications and stakeholder management as well as the setting-up of the Renewable Fuels Agency. Before becoming a consultant, Sue held a number of policy and management roles in the Home Office. Her early career was in business journalism, working for both the Evening Standard City Page and the Financial Times.

Gerald McEachern - Director of Development - Huntsman Oceansciences

Gerald is a career business developer. For over 20 years he led a successful marketing agency in northern Ontario Canada specializing in government, resource-based and telecommunications clients—before moving to Canada’s East Coast. Prior to his marketing career, Gerald was trained as a stationary engineer and in the 1970s produced the working drawings for a one-atmosphere tethered submersible with mixed gas lockout diving capabilities for marine salvage and rescue operations. Today he handles the development program for Huntsman Oceansciences in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where he is responsible for advancing the organization’s research, education and contract science operations, including ocean energy projects on the Bay of Fundy.

Jessica McIlroy - Project Director - Ocean Renewable Energy Group

Jessica McIlroy has been a part of the Ocean Renewable Energy Group since its inception in 2004. She was on the founding Board of Directors as Treasurer and Secretary, stepping down in 2005 to take a staff position as Project Director.

In 2003 Ms. McIlroy completed an MSc in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Her dissertation was on the challenges facing commercialisation in the UK wave energy sector, which started her career in the ocean energy.

Ms. McIlroy is currently completing an MBA at Royal Roads University in BC, she also attended Simon Fraser University, completing a BSc in Environmental Science with a focus in Biology in 2000.

Since 2000, Ms. McIlroy has gained extensive experience in the environmental and renewable energy fields, completing number of contracts for wind and wave energy companies, a conservation organisation in Mexico, the Canadian federal government, and other organisations.

Tristan Mackie - Founding Director - Green Peninsula

Tristan is a mechanical engineer and has been involved in the UK renewable energy industry since it first took off in the early 1990s. Tristan has extensive experience in the development and management of wind power assets from micro turbines to multi-MW machines. His clients have included major industrial, property and retail firms. He specialises in initial site feasibility studies and project managing the planning application process, including public consultation. He also set up the processes for a client to become ISO 9001:2000 registered for the “Development, Operation and Ownership of Wind Power Stations”.

Lisa C. Mallon - Health and Safety Manager - ScottishPower Renewables

Lisa is a Health and Safety professional with a Masters Degree in Safety and Environmental Management in addition to a Degree in Engineering. Lisa’s career has included roles within Manufacturing, Health & Safety Consultancy, Energy and Electricity Industries.

Lisa is currently the Health and Safety Manager for ScottishPower Renewables and a member of the BWEA health and safety steering group with particular responsibilities for training standards and public safety.

Lisa is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (MIOSH) and a Member of the Association of Project Safety (MaPS).

Rosie Manise - Principal Specialist on Climate and Energy - Natural England

Rosie Manise joined Natural England last summer as their Principle Specialist - Climate Change & Energy Policy from her previous post as Head of Policy for the Audit Commission, dealing with corporate policy issues including value for money, governance and corporate social responsibility. Prior to entering the regulatory sector, Rosie worked in business and NGOs, established a successful private practice, and taught impact assessment, environmental management, environmental policy & law at MSc and LLM at the University of Wales where she had studied for her own MSc. Over the years, her interests led her to specialise in environmental management, impact assessment, and project development. Rosie's later move to the Audit Commission enabled her to successfully influence public service policy using systems thinking and foresight planning - good solid environmental management skills of course, just applied to non-environmental policy-making. Among other things, this resulted in Area Profiles, a locality based assessment of performance and value for money, which started life as a modest collaboration with an old friend but has been mainstreamed as the Comprehensive Area Assessment. Moving to Natural England was Rosie's opportunity to return to her environmental roots and apply her public policy skills to an area of personal passion, the natural environment.  

Ian Marchant - Chief Executive - SSE

Ian Marchant was appointed Chief Executive of SSE in October 2002 having been Finance Director since 1998. He joined Southern Electric in 1992 and joined the Board on becoming Finance Director in 1996. Ian has been Chairman of the United Kingdom Business Council for Sustainable Energy, is a member of Ofgem’s Environmental Advisory Group, the Coal Forum and of the Energy Research Partnership. Ian is a non-Executive Director of Maggie’s Cancer Centres and of John Wood Group PLC. He is also Chairman of the Climate Change Business Delivery Group.

Javier Marqués - Head of The EVE Renewable Energies Department

Javier Marqués is a graduate Industrial Engineer, specialising in Energy Technologies from the School of Industrial Engineering in Bilbao and Master in Business Administration from from the University of Deusto also in Bilbao.  He has over 20 years experience in the energy field, particularly renewable energies and has lead in EVE (the Basque Energy Board) on the implementation of different programmes for the development of renewable energies (solar, wind, biomass, marine…) in the Basque Country in northern Spain.  At present, he is the Head of The EVE Renewable Energies Department and a member of the Boards of companies, public/private involved in renewable energy projects and developments in which EVE has a share.  He is also a member of the Renewable Energies Working Group, constituted by the central Spanish Authorities and the Spanish Autonomous Communities for the development of renewable energies in Spain.  On the marine energy front, he leads on an energy from waves project that EVE with EU backing through the Framework VI programme is developing on the Basque coastline at Mutriku employing OWC technology from Wavegen (Scotland) the project for energy from waves.  He is also involved in an EVE project for the promotion and development of a research infrastructure for the development of marine energies on/off the Basque coastline in the future.

Jim Mather MSP - Minister for Enterprise, Energy, and Tourism

Born in March 1947, Jim Mather MSP was educated at Paisley Grammar, Greenock High School and Glasgow University, where he studied accountancy, law and economics.

In 1964, he became an apprentice chartered accountant, going on on to work in the computer industry, latterly running his own business, before entering politics.

From 2000 until 2004, he was the party's National Treasurer. At the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Jim was elected as a Highlands and Islands MSP. As Shadow Enterprise and Economy Minister, he was a member of the SNP's Shadow Cabinet.

Mr Mather became the MSP for Argyll and Bute at the 2007 Scottish Parliament election and was appointed Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism.

He has been involved in the development and promotion of the Economic Case for Independence and is a Director of Business for Scotland.

He is married with two children.

Jan Matthiesen - Head of Onshore - British Wind Energy Association

Jan Matthiesen is the Head of Onshore at BWEA, the British Wind Energy Association. BWEA is the representative body for companies active in the UK wind, wave and tidal energy market. Its membership stands at over 380 companies. Jan has a University degree in electrical / mechanical engineering and has worked for Industry Associations since 2000.

Dr Keith Melton - Director of Technology & Innovation - NaREC

Broad International experience in R&D management and new product development across a range of sectors and technologies.

Responsible for the technical delivery team at NaREC supporting the wind, marine and electrical businesses, developing a business in micro renewables, selling and delivering consultancy across NaREC’s range of capabilities, R&D programme.

With Corus, led a project to do a feasibility study on a permanent magnet direct drive wind turbine.

Andrew Mill - Chief Executive - NaREC

Andrew is the Chief Executive of NaREC (New and Renewable Energy Centre). Born in Scotland but attended school in Canada before returning to complete his education in Glasgow. He attended The University of Strathclyde where he was awarded a degree in electrical engineering and electronic science. After a period with YARD consultants Andrew joined Rolls Royce Peebles where he was Director and General Manger of the projects division. The company completed a number of mechanical and electrical packages for small hydro, mining, wind turbine and thermal power plants world wide. He has been involved in the energy industry for most of his career including a period as Business Development Director Southern Europe with British Energy. He spent a short period in the communications industry where as Operations Director he was responsible for the implementation of a system which recovered data from remote equipment using mobile phone technology. Prior to joining NaREC he was Managing Director of EMEC the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney during its initial build and operational phase. Andrew is a member of the UK DTI’s Renewables Advisory Board and sits on the board of a number of companies involved in renewable energy.

Professor C Paul Mitchell - Institute of Energy Technologies, University of Aberdeen

Prof Paul Mitchell has almost 30 years experience in conducting research, development and demonstration in renewable energies. He has worked closely with government departments and agencies, research institutes, international organisations and industry as programme and project manager developing biomass and bioenergy as an economically viable and sustainable source of energy. The development of wood either as co-products from the conventional forest industries or as short rotation coppice energy crops and more recently the development of biofuels has been a particular focus.

He teaches into the Energy Futures MSc programme and has supervised numerous PhD students on energy-related topics, in particular techno-economic and systems analysis of renewable energy technologies..

He is the author of over 200 scientific papers, editor of a book and 16 conference proceedings.

Professor Mitchell is the Chief Editor of the academic journal Biomass and Bioenergy published by Elsevier.

Professor Mitchell is based in the University of Aberdeen, College of Physical Sciences where he is Director of the Institute of Energy Technologies. The Institute brings together all the research in the University directed at energy related issues. Prime strengths are in renewables (biomass, biofuels, wave, fuel cells), Petroleum engineering, petroleum geology, storage of nuclear waste, economics & policy, supply system modelling, carbon sequestration, design of energy efficient buildings. He is a co-director of the Energy Technologies Partnership – a pan-Scotland partnership of university based researcher into all aspects of energy. He is also a founder Director of the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) – a public/private body to develop and promote the deployment of clean energy technologies.

Colin Morgan - Director - Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd

Colin Morgan is a Director of Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd, based in the UK.  He has a mechanical engineering background and has worked in the wind energy industry for 20 years.  In this time his work has included: wind turbine aerodynamic and structural analysis and design; software development and support; research into wake effects; wind and energy resource assessment;  banks due diligence; construction management; and wind turbine inspection.   For the past seven years he has been in charge of GH work on offshore wind projects.

Alan Mortimer - Head of Renewables Policy - ScottishPower Renewable Energy Ltd

Alan Mortimer graduated from Glasgow University in 1987 with an Honours degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He then joined James Howden & Co. Ltd. in Glasgow, working on a variety of products from tunnelling machines to industrial fans to wind turbines. In 1991 Alan joined ScottishPower, working initially as an engineer, then moving into renewables development. During this period the company has expanded to become the leading player in the UK wind market with 18 windfarms totalling over 380MW, including the UK’s largest windfarm at Black Law (124MW). In his current role as Head of Renewables Policy he has responsibility for policy and strategic issues related to the company’s growth ambitions. This includes developments in the marine sector such as the Orkney project with PWP and the tidal project with Hammerfest Strøm.

Alex Murley - Small-System Manager - BWEA

Alex Murley is the Small-System Manager at BWEA where he is responsible for co-ordinating the representation of the UK micro- and small wind industry to the British public, national media, and the UK government. Alex sits on the UK Microgeneration Certification Scheme Steering Group whilst also actively supports numerous BWEA Small Systems working groups which tackle technical, policy, and communication issues within industry.

Alex has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Bath University, and has worked within ethical supply chain management, the environmental charity sector, as well as the wholesale electricity market. Prior to BWEA Alex worked as a business analyst for ELEXON Ltd, the UK's Balancing and Settlement Code Company.

Philippe Nellissen - Business Development Manager - 3B-the fibre glass company

Birth date: 02/12/1972 Citizenship: Belgium, married, 1 child

Education:

Hold an Civil Engineering degree in Electromechanics from the University of Liège, Belgium.

Hold a Master in Management from the HEC in Liège

Business experience

• Started at Owens Corning in 2000 and hold various position Manufacturing Plant in Battice ( Belgium).Was in charge of Maintenance and production of short fibres products
• In 2005, Joined the Business Development Team at the European Team of Owens Corning.

Mainly dedicated to Energy and Infrastructure market. In energy field, a lot of interest in Renewable Energies (Wind, Wave and Tidal, …).

• In November 2007, joined 3B , the fibreglass company as Business Development Manager. 3B is a new name in fibreglass reinforcements manufacturing for the composite and reinforced plastics industries. Formed as an independent entity following the acquisition of Saint Gobain's reinforcements business Vetrotex by Owens Corning, 3B is the #1 European-based glass fibre manufacturer

Guy Nicholson - Chief Executive - Econnect Group

Guy Nicholson is a chartered engineer with 27 years’ experience of renewables and is the founder of Econnect. He is a highly respected authority on grid integration issues both in the UK and in Europe, and has delivered presentations at major renewable events around the world.

Guy represents generators on the GB Grid Code Review Panel and on the UK Ofgem DTI Distribution Working Group. He is an advocate for renewable energy, sustainability and a low carbon global economy.

Dr Trudy Nicholson - Head, Energy Efficiency Unit - Scottish Government

Trudy started life out as a research scientist working in the field of neurophysiology at University College London. In 2000, she moved back to Scotland to join the Scottish Executive to work on innovation and research & development policy, including support schemes such as Proof of Concept, SMART and SPUR. After three years, she was seconded to University of Glasgow to work on a European funded knowledge transfer project aimed at bridging the gap between SMEs and the University.

On return to the Executive in 2004, she worked in skills policy, primarily responsible for the development of Sector Skills Councils and Sector Skills Agreements in Scotland.

Since May 2006, she has headed up the Energy Efficiency Team in the Scottish Government providing a strategic view on energy efficiency policies and activities. She is responsible for taking forward the Scottish Government's overall strategy and policy developments on energy efficiency. Much of this work involves co-ordinating, contributing and mainstreaming activity across the Scottish Government. She oversees the work of the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust in Scotland, along with the Central Energy Efficiency Fund and Loan Action Scotland. In addition, she is responsible for developing future policy for supporting microgeneration in Scotland.

Gavin Peart - Head of the Building Standards Strategy Division - the Directorate for the Built Environment

Gavin is currently Head of the Building Standards Strategy Division of the Directorate for the Built Environment. He oversees the work of the Research/Sustainability/LZCT, Structure/Energy and Safety/Noise Branches. On joining the Scottish Government seven years ago, Gavin was given responsibility for the technical content of the Noise and Energy standards and guidance, including implementation of the EU Directive on the energy performance of buildings. From 1978 until 2001 he was employed by 2 local authorities, performing the full range of building control responsibilities. He also has full corporate membership of the RICS.

Jon Priddy - Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company

Jon has been employed as a CES development officer in the north highlands, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire since 2002. The work includes developing community based renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in partnership with community groups including hall committees, community forestry groups and groups with an interest in providing a sustainable income from renewable energy to address local needs. Jon came to the job from a career in environmental management centred on Forestry and was latterly involved in developing a biomass cluster in north Sutherland. He has a Msc in Environmental Resource Management (Forestry Strategies) and is now studying electrical engineering part time as well as building up his own portfolio of micro wind and hydro turbine installation work. He has built built his own log home in Sutherland complete with a wood fired heating system.

Win Rampen - Artemis Intelligent Power

Win grew up on an Ontario farm near Toronto surrounded by sheds full of lovely old, broken, machines, which encouraged a hand's-on interest in engineering and energy.  After a first degree in Mechanical Engineering in Toronto he hopped continents and found a job with Stephen Salter working on the power conversion side of the "Duck" wave-energy converter, under the tutelage of Robert Clerk.  After a spell as a lecturer in Toronto, he returned to Edinburgh in 1987 to take up an EPSRC project which effectively continued the earlier work on ultra-efficient hydraulic transmissions.  He completed a part-time PhD in 1993, his thesis "the Digital Displacement Hydraulic Pump" providing the initial framework for the development that followed.

After building and demonstrating the first Digital Displacement® machines he, with Stephen Salter, spun out Artemis Intelligent Power in 1994 to develop and commercialise this technology.  Artemis is now an R&D and licensing company, with a focus on two major clean technology applications for its transmissions. Hydraulic hybrid vehicle applications have been licensed to Bosch, and discussions are in progress with two major wind turbine manufacturers. The company is still entirely owned by its founders and employees.

Dave Raval - Manager, Carbon Trust - TTP Incubator

Dave is the Incubator Manager. He has a strong understanding of how to combine technology and business to deliver commercially-successful new ventures, and 10 years' experience of helping new technology companies to grow. He has worked with start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, spin-outs from large companies, academia and university technology transfer offices, finance providers, charitable bodies, the DTI/DIUS and all of the UK’s Regional Development Agencies and Local Assembly Governments.

Dave has degrees in Engineering and Business from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and has lived and worked in the UK, USA and Germany.

Dr Geoff Riddington

Dr Geoff Riddington is an independent consultant and Visiting Reader in Quantitative Economics in the Division of Public Policy at the Caledonian Business School. He specialises in economic forecasting and in economic impact and cost-benefit appraisals of leisure, tourism and transport related projects and activities. His publications include papers on combining the economic value and impact frameworks, on the econometric forecasts underlying airport development plans, on the economic benefits associated with angling and water sports, on methods for estimating local input-output tables, on forecasting skiing numbers and on the evaluation of train protection systems. He has also published work on the economics of Scottish Railways, on Scottish Ferry Services and on Scottish Tourism Statistics.

Rainer Romirer-Maierhofer - Technical support & Training Europe, UK Export Manager - Windhager Zentralheizung GmbH, Austria

Rainer Romirer-Maierhofer started his electrical training early – at 15, finishing this full time part of his education at 19. After this he studied at evening classes for his master's diplomas – in electrical engineering as well as mechanical & automation engineering. He worked as a technician in different companies, and has been working with Windhager Zentralheizung for the past 5 ½ years. He started there as a service technician. For the past 3 1/2 years he has worked with the export department. First he was responsible for technical matters in export (training, support, service, etc.), but for the past eighteen months he has also been responsible for sales in UK and Ireland. He is also the head labour union speaker for the company.

Marco Rossetti - Project Engineer - Air Products plc

Project Engineer with over 14 years experience in the implementation of a wide range of projects having special expertise in the Gases & Chemical industry. Currently responsible for project managing several high profile hydrogen energy projects in Europe.

Patrick Schmidt - Researcher - Ludwig-Bolkow-Systemtechnik (LBST)

Patrick Schmidt received his diploma in electrical engineering 2001 in Karlsruhe/Germany. Since then, Patrick Schmidt is working with Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST) as researcher and project manager in strategy and technology projects in the context of sustainable energy and transport systems. He has been part of the European HFP Secretariat and has been working in a number of industry and research projects, among others “GermanHy” – The German Hydrogen Energy Roadmap. His main interests are sustainablity issues, renewable energies and green business.

Neil Schofield - Head of Sustainable Development Head of Sustainable Development - Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd

Neil has been involved in the heating industry throughout his career, starting at British Gas before moving on to Worcester in 1987.

For the last five years, Neil has been leading the company on industry legislation, ensuring that Worcester is at the forefront of providing support for any new changes. He took on this new role to initially to focus on the amends to the building regulations (Part L regarding boilers) and is now the company's main ambassador for promoting awareness of renewable technology and carbon reduction legislation.

As part of Neil’s role, he is involved many industry bodies. He is currently Chair of ACE (Association for the Conservation of Energy) and Chair of the Construction Products Association’s Low and Zero Carbon Technologies Group.

Neil is also involved with a number of other bodies including:

• Heating & Hotwater Industry Council (Chair - Low carbon technologies group)
• Solar Trade Association (Vice Chairman)
• GSHP Association (Council member)

Adrian Scholtz - CEO - Green Peninsula

Adrian Scholtz is CEO of Green Peninsula, a company founded 2 years ago that is dedicated to providing renewable energy lead advisory and project management services to major corporations. As CEO, Adrian has overall responsibility for all client relationships, which includes some of the world’s largest companies, to deliver material and long term change to their energy provision. Adrian has experience of most major renewable energy markets and all commercially mature technologies, which may contribute to delivering ambitious renewable energy targets for our clients.

Adrian joined Green Peninsula in 2007. Prior to joining, he was an Assistant Director in Ernst & Young’s Renewable Energy Team, where he worked for 5 years. During this time Adrian advised on a broad range of renewable energy transactions; and compiled numerous market, policy and due diligence reports for a numerous high quality organisations.

Adrian has delivered papers and chaired sessions at numerous major renewable energy conferences, and compiled a variety of published renewable energy articles.

Adrian is a Chartered Accountant, having worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers for 4 years.

Further information on Adrian and Green Peninsula can be found at www.green-peninsula.com

Carin Schwartz - Chair - Transition Town Forres Group

Carin Schwartz is  Chair of Transition Town Forres Group, a newly established community group established to encourage local action for higher resilience in the face of climate change and peak oil. The group is one of many in the UK wide Transition Town network, currently at over 750 communities, towns, cities and neighbourhoods. The Transition Town Forres Group aims to create an Energy Descent Action Plan to suggest ways for Forres to become carbon neutral in the not too distant future. She is also active in a number of local organisations where she works to give community members a voice to speak their concerns. (Chair of Forres Neighbour hood Forum, President of Forres and Findhorn Toastmaster Club,  Director of Findhorn Foundation College and Director of Ekopia)

Previous to this Carin worked in international banking for 27 years in Stockholm, New York, Berlin and London, primarily with Trade Finance. She moved to Scotland 3 years ago.

Tavish Scott MSP - Convener, Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee

In 1999, 2003 and 2007, Tavish Scott was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland which, at some 300 miles from Edinburgh, is the furthest constituency from Holyrood, and is a constituency made up of a group of islands closer to Norway than they are to Edinburgh.

Representing Shetland's interests in Edinburgh mean that, as well as the usual health, education, and housing issues all MSPs have to deal with, he has to keep in touch with fishing, aquaculture, crofting & farming, and energy (oil and renewables) issues. And, of course, transport is always a major issue, which affects all aspects of island life, and indeed of the life of the islands MSP as he travels back and forwards between Shetland and Edinburgh.

Prior to his election to the Scottish Parliament, he was a Director of Shetland Islands Tourism, a Shetland Islands Councillor and Chairman and Trustee of the Lerwick Harbour Trust. Prior to May 2007, Tavish held ministerial office in the Scottish Executive as Deputy Minister for Parliament, Deputy Minister for Finance, Public Services and Parliamentary Business and latterly Minister for Transport.

Dale Seymour - Deputy Secretary for Energy, Resources and Major Projects - Department of Primary Industries, Melbourne

He is responsible for major capital projects and departmental work on the Energy, Minerals and Extractive Industries covering policy, regulation, investment facilitation, technology and innovation. He oversees energy policy advice and projects and the implementation and further development of the Energy Technology Innovation Strategy. He is also tasked with managing the Government's negotiations with Alcoa on proposed expansion within Victoria. Dale advises the Minister for Energy and Resources, The Hon. Peter Batchelor, MP.

Recent high profile capital projects he has overseen include the relocation of the Melbourne Wholesale Market, the establishment of a Biosciences Research Centre, and the Melbourne Showgrounds Redevelopment project. As well as being at the centre of Victoria’s response to climate change, he has a wealth of experience in government structural reform and major capital works as well as a keen understanding of the political process.

John Seymour - Rural Affairs Spokesman - Northeast Biofuels

I realised there was a true opportunity for UK farming with the advent of the 1992 CAP reforms and the growing of industrial crops on set aside.  I soon realised that this new Biofuels industry was outside the conventional food sector supply chain, and that to unlock the true value of this new sector would require the bringing together of new partnerships from the private and public sectors, effectively to establish a new supply chain.  I felt as though I, and this new group had acted as a catalyst in bringing together companies with previously little common ground or historical ties from both the agricultural and petrochemical sectors.  The result was a formation of a new kind of vertical cluster group, Northeast Biofuels (NEB), in 2002.  The next step was to consider what it was that diversity of companies and organisations wished to achieve, and what comprised their greatest areas of shared purpose.  All of the businesses in the cluster have gained new insights from working with new partners coming from different sectors and different levels in the supply chain.  As far as the agricultural links of the supply chain are concerned, the growing of OSR as a feedstock on a non-food contract for biodiesel has added an extra and considerable string to North East farmer's marketing bow.  It has meant a change of thinking from the traditional concept of agricultural marketing, in which business trades largely on a spot market basis, and learning from the petrochemical industry where business more often involves longer term contracts.  Taking this principle on board has enabled Northeast Biofuels to look outside existing supply chains and both interact with, and influence the market place.

One of the earliest needs was to examine and develop agreement on a shared common purpose from people and organisations, coming from different backgrounds.  Equally, a critical success factor was building a team of dedicated and committed individuals, who recognise the value of achieving growth outside their main areas of interest.  Building an effective network, both within and outside the cluster group, was crucial.  I was an original member of the lobby group, BABFO which has now become part of the REA.    NEB has also engaged directly in a broad range of development, lobbying, influencing activities, and built a powerful cross-industrial knowledge and expertise base as a benefit to its members and others.

Malcolm Shepherd - Managing Director - Biofuel Matters Ltd

Malcolm Shepherd is Managing Director of Biofuel Matters Ltd, a company that provides specialist consultancy services for commercial companies, government agencies, trade associations and NGOs on biofuel issues - with particular emphasis on commodity risk management, feedstock selection, co-product utilisation, supply networks and competition for crops.

Current projects for biodiesel and bioethanol interests include feedstock procurement & risk management strategies, evaluating alternative markets for biofuel co-products and investigating the issues & facts surrounding the “food versus fuel” debate.

Before establishing Biofuel Matters, Malcolm was Managing Director of Green Spirit Fuels, Director of eBIO (European Bioethanol Producers Association) and Managing Director of Wessex Grain Ltd. His working experience involves commodity trading, animal feed & feed ingredient processing and management of a large bioethanol project that included the investigation of feed markets for fermentation residues.

Charles Shields - Chief Executive - Industrial and Power Association

Charles Shields is the Chief Executive of the Industrial and Power Association. He has been a Director of the Association since 1994. His career spans about 40 years in the power industry. Early career experience included five years in the nuclear industry, followed by three years in the power boiler industry. The larger part of his career was in the gas turbine industry, spending 28 years with John Brown Engineering at Clydebank in Scotland.

The Industrial and Power Association supports and promotes companies involved in the power and energy business. The IPA has a membership of 48 companies, ranging from large utility to small consultants. Members’ interests include engineering, manufacturing, construction, project development, and the financial and legal activity in power projects.

Stein Erik Skilhagen -Vice President Osmotic Power - Statkraft

Master in Environmental Engineering from Norway. All his professional life been spent working with industrial development projects - everything from breweries through pharmaceuticals and also production of fertilizers. The last few years he has spent his time on the development of osmotic power, including handling the transition of transferring this concept from purely R&D into a representation of a great future possibility within renewable energy.

Richard Slark - Director of Renewables - Pöyry Energy Consulting

Richard Slark is director of renewables at Pöyry Energy Consulting with fourteen years experience in the operation of power markets in the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. Richard specialises the commercial and strategic response to energy policy and in the design and implementation of renewable policy instruments. He advises on price, policy and regulatory risk in Europe’s conventional and renewable electricity markets. Richard currently divides his time between advising on the financing and valuation of renewable projects and on the issues arising from the EU’s 20% renewable energy target for 2020. His clients include conventional and renewable power station developers, financiers and operators, government departments and regulators.

Pöyry Energy Consulting is Europe's leading energy consultancy – providing strategic, commercial, regulatory and policy advice to Europe's energy markets. Part of Pöyry Plc, the global engineering and consulting firm, Pöyry Energy Consulting merges the expertise of ILEX Energy Consulting, ECON and Convergence Utility Consultants with the management consulting arms of Electrowatt-Ekono and Verbundplan. Our team of over 250 energy specialists, located across 15 European offices in 12 countries, offers unparalleled expertise in the rapidly changing energy sector.

Jon Slowe - Director - Delta Energy & Environment

Jon is a director at Delta Energy & Environment, and a specialist in the fields of micro-CHP, emerging decentralised energy (DE) technologies, DE markets, business models and applications. Jon has published numerous reports on these topics and carried out a variety of consulting engagements He leads work advising utilities, investor, technology developers and policy makers in Europe, North America and Japan. He has nine years experience in the energy sector. Jon previously worked for Platts as manager of its E Source Distributed Energy and Micro-CHP research services, subscribed to by utilities and other organisations around the world.. Before that, Jon worked for the UK's Energy Saving Trust, managing their programmes to support the take up of cogeneration and the development of energy services offerings.

Dr Jo Smith - Reader in Soil Organic Matter and Nutrient Modelling, School of Biological Sciences -University of Aberdeen

Dr Jo Smith obtained a PhD in Modelling Clay Mineral Dissolution from the University of Reading in 1991. She worked briefly for British Petroleum, modelling zeolite materials, before moving to Rothamsted Research. At Rothamsted Research, she focussed on simulation of soil organic matter and nitrogen turnover, with particular emphasis on nitrate leaching from Nitrate Sensitive Areas and Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. In 2001, she moved to the University of Aberdeen, where research interests shifted onto greenhouse gas emissions from the soil associated with land use and climate change. In 2005, the team published the most comprehensive dynamic simulation to date of carbon dioxide emissions from mineral soils in Europe. Since then, the team has focussed on organic soils, with the development of a new model of soil organic matter and nitrogen turnover in highly organic soils (ECOSSE). Recently, she coordinated a project to provide revised guidelines for calculating carbon savings from windfarms sited on Scottish peatlands. It is this work that she will discuss at All-Energy ’08.

Louise Smith - Pentland Firth Tidal Energy Project Manager - Highlands & Islands Enterprise

Louise is a chartered civil engineer who is well known in the North of Scotland for promoting renewable energy projects. Since returning to live in Thurso, Caithness four years ago she has been involved in several energy initiatives including three years as a director of the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company (HICEC). She has also served as chair of the Caithness Renewable Energy Forum, and established the Caithness Energy Alliance (a body formed by businesses with a Caithness base, to target the renewable and offshore markets) together with a free energy advice service for householders in Caithness and Sutherland whilst working for a local community group

In February 2008 she joined the Pentland Firth Tidal Energy Project - a partnership of the area’s principal agencies – which is the key contact for marine energy device developers, investors, utility companies and the supply chain. The project vision is to support the development of a globally important marine energy industry in the Pentland Firth to the significant benefit of the local and national economies in a sustainable and environmentally aware way.

Dr Michael R Smith - Chief Executive - Energyfiles

Michael has spent over 25 years working in the oil and gas industry.

After receiving his geology doctorate from Oxford University he worked for 7 years as a consultant in Asia followed by 10 years employed in both managerial and technical capacities with oil companies all over the world.

His interest in energy supply forecasting was stimulated whilst Exploration Manager for Sun Oil in Yemen in 1991, observing the rapid rise and fall of Sun’s upstream business and realising the scarcity of material global drilling prospects even then.

He is now Chief Executive of Energyfiles where he has developed a detailed forecasting service. Visit www.energyfiles.com for more information.

Greg Snyder – Manager - Atlantic Canada, Renewable Power, Hatch Energy

Greg Snyder is a Senior Project Engineer and is Manager of the Hatch Energy Fredericton Office. He has more than 25 years experience, including numerous civil construction, hydroelectric projects and water resource projects in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Snyder has participated in numerous wind and renewable energy conferences and workshops, and has been involved in preparation of RFP submissions for wind farm project in Atlantic Canada. This work has included work related to preengineering, project costing and construction logistics. He also has extensive experience in dam safety projects and inspections, design and construction of modifications, and rehabilitation for aging structures. Recently, he has been involved in redevelopment projects for renewable energy and providing advice in the ownership transfer of dam systems.

Frank Sommerville - Business Development Manager - Nova Scotia Department of Energy

Frank Sommerville, is the Manager, Business Development with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. He has been full time with energy related business development opportunities for the past ten years. He has been employed with the Province of Nova Scotia in the economic development field for the past 30 years where he has been involved with industrial infrastructure projects and promoting business opportunities associated with major capital projects including offshore petroleum exploration and development activities.

Frank by training is a civil engineer and has post graduate degrees in engineering and construction management from the United States and Great Britain, respectively. Prior to joining the provincial government service, Frank worked in Thailand, the United States, and Iran.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Frank is married and has two sons.

Dave Sowden

Dave Sowden is an experienced chief executive in regulatory and public affairs with over 15 years’ experience in the energy industry and an outstanding track record in obtaining changes in UK and EU legislation and regulation. He is an official adviser on Energy Policy to the UK Ministers, and has had a pivotal role across a number of years in shaping key aspects of UK energy policy, especially in the microgeneration sector.

While employed by one of the world’s leading energy companies he was instrumental in setting up the Micropower Council, an industry body that brings together companies and trade associations with the aim of promoting microgeneration. It was the prime mover behind the UK government’s Microgeneration Strategy and the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006, one of the largest ever Private Member's Bills to become law.

In his early career, he spent ten years in the UK electricity and gas industry, with substantial parts of this spent in Brussels influencing the passage of EU energy liberalisation legislation. He holds a first degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Wales, and an MBA from the University of Warwick. He is a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, the Institute Of Directors, and a Fellow of the RSA.

Rick Squires - Chairman - Eclipse Energy UK Ltd

Rick is Chairman of Eclipse Energy UK Ltd a privately owned company which is developing a 150 MW offshore wind farm in the UK. Rick is also Chairman of FibreGen the AIM quoted company which is the second largest wood pellet supplier in the North America. He is a board member of Good Energy, the UK based 100% renewable electricity supplier and also Prins Alternatech a supplier of LPG conversion equipment for the automotive industry. Rick also runs iEnergy Ltd, which provides consulting, executive search and management education services to the energy industry.

Rick has extensive experience in the international energy business across a wide range of activities and fuels. Until 2003 he was based in Boston, USA with InterGen, an international power company. Prior to this, Rick headed the Power Business within Shell Gas and Power, London. His career in Shell spanned over 25 years and included senior management positions in Shell Coal International, Shell Gas Power and Shell International Trading. While he was principally based in London, he also had assignments with Shell in South Africa and Japan. Before joining Shell, he worked in the UK as a graduate engineer for the South Western Electricity Board. Rick holds a First Honours Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Business Studies.

Dr Garry Staunton - Technology Director - The Carbon Trust

Dr Garry Staunton joined the Carbon Trust in April 2002.  From 2002 to 2007 he was responsible for the development and delivery of the wide range of research and development activities within the Carbon Trust’s Innovation business area, and was appointed Technology Director in 2007.  Garry’s current responsibilities includes ensuring that the Carbon Trust remains informed regarding opportunities where provision of support can have a material impact on the commercialisation of low carbon technologies.

Prior to joining Carbon Trust Garry worked for as a consultant in the low carbon energy sector where his activities included work on renewable energy, energy policy and R&D evaluation/management.  Garry’s consultancy work was carried out for a range of clients in the UK and overseas.

 Lord Provost Peter Stephen - Lord Provost of the City of Aberdeen

Place of Birth: Aberdeen
Educated: Sunnybank Primary; Robert Gordon's College
Qualifications: M.C.I.B.S. Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland
Occupation: 1953-1991 Union Bank of Scotland which became Bank of Scotland, retired as Senior Branch Manager, (broken only by 2 years of National Service). 1992-1996 Self employed Business Consultant
Professional Membership: M.C.I.B.S.
Special Interests: Pensions, Community/Ward, The City
Leisure Interests: Family, caravaning, walking, gardening, horses, dogs and bowls

The Lord Provost is Aberdeen’s civic head, an ancient office dating back to the 13th century.  Peter Stephen was nominated and elected as the new Lord Provost for Aberdeen.

The 43 members of Aberdeen City Council following the local government elections elect the ‘first citizen’ every four years. The Provost is also the Convener of the Council and continues to carry out the normal duties of an elected member.

The role involves the active promotion of Aberdeen at home and abroad. This involves a wide range of activities from hosting civic receptions and acting as the city’s ambassador, to taking part in a wide range of activities involving Aberdeen’s many groups and organisations.

Importantly, the Lord Provost is also the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeen City and in this capacity, greets the Royal Family and visiting Heads of State. Other titles held by the Lord Lieutenant are the Lord High Admiral of the Northern Seas and the Vice Admiral of the Coast of Great Britain and Ireland.

Rita Stephen - Development Manager - ACSEF

A graduate in Management from The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Rita Stephen has almost completed two years of a three year secondment to the Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Forum (ACSEF) as Development Manager. ACSEF is a public-private sector partnership created to deliver economic development priorities throughout the North East of Scotland to retain Aberdeen City and Shire’s position as the top performing economy in Scotland. She is currently preparing an Economic Development plan for 2008-201, in partnership with the private sector and over the past two years has engaged with some1200 local businesses to ensure their needs and expectations are reflected in the plan.

Prior to taking up this post, Rita was Head of Economic Development of Aberdeen City Council for four years.

As Head of Economic Development, she had responsibility for marketing the city of Aberdeen, locally, nationally and internationally, the delivery of a £1.5 million scheme of financial assistance to businesses, Inward Investment and International Trade Development.

Her career in local government, which began in 1992, was preceded by a 7year period of owning a sales and marketing company whose client list included the Ford Motor Company, and a large international hotel chain. She speaks fluent French and Spanish

She is married with two children, aged 23 and 20. Time constraints allowing, her hobbies include running, hill climbing and Roman history.

Jeff Steynor - University of Edinburgh

Jeff Steynor is in the 4th year of a Master course in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

Having mostly been trained in the dockyard as a “Jack of All Trades”, he decided at the age of 21 to return to education in pursuit of Renewable Energy. The combination of electrical and mechanical was chosen in anticipation of the scope of work in the renewables industry. During his degree course, Jeff has spent summer vacations working for the Bermuda Electric Light Company. He is presently in the middle of a Shell UK internship as part of the degree course after which he hopes to emerge with a First degree in June 2009.

David Still


 

Christoph Stiller - Postdoctoral Researcher - NTNU

Christoph Stiller holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Munich University of Technology and a PhD from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Since 2001 he is with Munich-based Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik (Strategy and technology consultants for sustainable energy and transport systems). His main fields of work are hydrogen infrastructure and energy system modelling, and he has contributed to various hydrogen roadmap projects. Since 2006 he is on part-time leave for a Postdoctoral fellowship at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology within the project “NorWays – Providing decision support for the introduction of hydrogen into the Norwegian energy system”.

Liv Monica Bargem Stubholt - State Secretary - Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum & Energy

Work experience:

2007-	State secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Energy
2005-2007	State secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2000-2005	Partner, law office Bugge, Arentz-Hansen & Rasmussen (BA-HR)
1997-2000	Project Manager, Norsk Investorforum
1993-2003	Guest Lecturer in Community Law for the Master of International Business programme, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration
1995-1997	Political Adviser to the Centre Party Parliamentary Group (to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs)
1990-1995	Associate/advocate, law office Bugge, Arentz-Hansen & Rasmussen (BA-HR)
1990	Trainee, European Commission (Legal Services), Brussels
1987-1990	Associate, law office Jens B Heggemsnes and Bredo Stabell

1987	Graduate degree in law, University of Oslo
1989	Studies in European community law, University of Oslo
1999	Studies in computer law, University of Oslo

Member of the board, Statnett SF Member of the Disciplinary Council for the Oslo branch of the Norwegian Bar Association Deputy member of the board of the Institute for Social Research Anti-Money Laundering Co-ordinator (BA-HR) Supervisory Committee Anti-Money Laundering (appointed by the Ministry of Finance) Committee of State Secretaries on International Strategy for Social Corporate Responsibility Contributor to the aquaculture periodical Aquatic and the fisheries periodical Kystmagasinet

 

Kenichi Suganuma - Consul General of Japan

Kenichi Suganuma, Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh – a post he has held since August 2007. After graduating from the Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo, Mr Kenichi Suganuma joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978. His previous postings include, among others, Director, International Energy Division, Economic Affairs Bureau; Director, OECD Division, Economic Affairs Bureau; Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organisation in Vienna; Minister, Head of the Economic Department, Embassy of Japan in Russia; Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Singapore; Deputy Assistant Vice-Minister (Crisis Management), Deputy Director-General, Consular Affairs Bureau; and Deputy Director-General for Global Issues, International Cooperation Bureau.

Nick Summers - Head of Utilities Section; Services, Transportation & Safety Unit, Health and Safety Executive

Nick Summers joined HSE in 1989 as an Inspector of Health & Safety. He also spent 5 years in HSE's Policy Group on work related to hazardous substances and the Disease Reduction Programme. Until July 2007 Nick was project manager for a joint HSE/Local Authority initiative aimed at reducing accidents and ill-health in the logistics/supply chain sector. Nick is currently Head of HSE's Utilities Section and his team have Operational Policy responsibility for a range of industries and topics including domestic gas safety, telecommunications, water & sewage, postal services and electricity generation/distribution. Nick is based in HSE's Northampton office.

HSE is working closely with the BWEA, both directly and through its H&S Steering Group, on a number of issues. In a new and rapidly developing sector such as wind energy, engagement of this kind is a vital stage in the process towards achieving consensus as to what constitutes good practice.

Harald G Svendsen - Research Engineer - Econnect Ventures Ltd

Norwegian. MSc in theoretical physics from Oslo University, worked 1/2 year as mathematics teacher, PhD in theoretical physics from Durham University (UK), two years as junior scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam (Germany) - before changing direction to engineering/renewables and joining Econnect Ventures in Hexham in June 2007.

Richard Tarboton - Head of Energy & Carbon Management - BT

Richard Tarboton is Head of Energy and Carbon management for BT. His team have overall responsibility for BT’s energy and carbon strategy and for energy trading operations across all BT businesses. BT purchase 0.7% of the total energy supply in the UK and are the largest buyer of green electricity.

Richard is currently directing the BT wind project, which is the largest wind power project by a company outside the energy sector.

Richard’s team are leading a number of projects across BT to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon by 2016 from 1996 levels. BT has been ranked top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index seven years running, and was awarded top sustainability company in the UK at the 2007 Business in the Community awards

In 2006, Richard undertook a senior level secondment to the UK Government to lead the development of the Government’s climate change strategy for local authorities. Previously, as head of the transport energy business unit of the Energy Saving Trust, Richard delivered the environment transport programme for Government. In this role, he was responsible for leading government investments in low carbon vehicle technologies and for rolling out business services to fleets across the UK to reduce their carbon footprint.

Richard previously worked in strategy consulting for Arthur D Little and Navigant consulting, where he managed renewable energy projects for clients including Shell and BG group. He also served as Managing Director for Project WorldTalk; a social enterprise to help people in rural communities obtain internet based information over telephone.

Richard holds an MBA from Cranfield Business School UK, and an Engineering Degree (first class) from WITS, South Africa.

Mike Thornton - Energy Saving Trust, Scotland

Mike is married with one 13 year old daughter. He was born in 1958 in Purley, London. He holds a First Class Honors degree in Genetics from the University of Nottingham. Originally heading for a life of academic research as a PhD student in ecological genetics, studying grasshoppers in East Anglia, Mike diverted into the commercial world, specifically computing. He became a systems analyst with what is now Rowntree in York and then a software research engineer for the same company.

Mike has always had a strong interest in the environment and eventually he changed careers, moving to Scotland as Development Co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth (Scotland) in 1987. From 1990-2002, he was the first Director of LEEP (now Changeworks), a regional NGO working in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Borders and Fife on energy efficiency, transport and recycling.

In 2002 Mike became head of the Energy Saving Trust’s Scottish team based in Edinburgh. At that time the team consisted of three staff, it has since risen to 18 as the Trust has developed and delivered major new carbon saving programmes for the Scottish Government.

Iain Todd - Renewable Energy Consultant - AREG

Iain Todd is a chartered engineer, who has worked in both the private sector and the Civil Service. He has held senior posts in the Health and Safety Executive, the Department of the Environment, and the Department of Trade and Industry, mostly on energy-related issues. Between 2002 and 2004, Iain was Director of Renewable Energy at the DTI. As such, he was responsible for the first two years of the Renewables Obligation, financial programmes of £300m, and initiatives to grow a UK renewables supply chain.

In June 2004 Iain returned to the private sector, and now works as a renewable energy consultant. Much of his time is given to his role as Renewables Champion to the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG).

Chris Tomlinson - Director of Programme Strategy - BWEA

Chris Tomlinson is the Director of Programme Strategy at BWEA where he has worked for over 5 years. Having qualified in Town & Country Planning in 1996 Chris went on to spend nearly 6 years working in local government in the field of planning, project management and urban regeneration. He moved to BWEA in January 2002 as the Head of Planning before his role evolved to take on the full range of onshore issues which resulted in establishing a 4-strong Onshore Team dealing with planning & development issues at a national and regional level. Chris then led the creation of a new re-strengthened BWEA as the Director of Operations, devising a strategy and establishing a new staff and support group structure to enable delivery. He is now the Director of Programme Strategy within the new organisation, heading up the critical policy developments across wind, wave and tidal technologies with the aim of securing a positive and robust regulatory framework to deliver a thriving industry. Chris continues to offer strategic political and communications support to BWEA, while managing the 10-strong Programme Team.

Dr.ing Tore A. Torp - Adviser CO2 Storage, Research Centre Trondheim, Energy & Environment - Statoil

Tore A. Torp joined Statoil in 1984, coming from the steel industry. He was educated at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim in 1968, with a PhD in material sciences same place in 1972. 1984-96 he lead large international R&D cooperation projects developing complex offshore field technologies. Since 1997 he has been project manager for Statoil CO2 storage R&D projects; first organising the SACS R&D project following up the Sleipner CO2 injection, later cooperation with a series of European and overseas CO2 storage R&D projects. He has been vice chairman for the CSLF Technical Group, and was also a "lead author" for the IPCC Special report on CO2 Capture and Storage." Recently he has been supporting the European Technical Platform ZEP – Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants.

His present position is “Advisor CO2 Storage”, leading the storage part of Statoil’s R&D programme on CO2 Capture and Storage.

Robert Trezona - Head of Research and Development - The Carbon Trust

Robert Trezona is Head of Research and Development at the Carbon Trust and has responsibility for Carbon Vision, the Applied Research Open Call and the new Directed Research programme. Robert is a materials scientist by training and has worked in fuel cells for Johnson Matthey and Ceres Power Ltd, and in strategy consulting for McKinsey & Co. He has been leading the Carbon Trust’s work on advanced bioenergy since April 2007.

Marcus Trinick - Partner - Bond Pearce LLP

Marcus is a partner having specialised in planning and environmental law for more than twenty years and he is particularly well known for his work in the renewable energy sector. He has appeared as advocate at almost 370 public inquiries and has advised on many planning applications and appeals concerning mineral, housing, retail, industrial, energy and tourism developments.

He has been involved in the development of the wind energy industry and has advised on more than 220 renewable energy projects in the UK and Europe. He has particular interests in the law and practice relating to nature conservation, noise emissions, electromagnetic effects and the application of EU environmental law to UK development projects. Marcus has lectured on renewable energy development in England, Wales, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, Germany and the United States.

Marcus has also advised on a number of biomass and energy from waste projects, as well as working on proposed landfill site project teams. He has advised DTI on a number of matters relating to the legal aspects of the commercialisation of renewable energy developments.

Recent experience includes:

• Wern Ddu – advising and conducting the advocacy at a public inquiry to determine an appeal for an onshore wind farm in Wales (5 turbines). This was a ground breaking inquiry decision which was a direct test of the Welsh Assembly's new renewable energy policy for Wales.
• Den Brook – advising and conducting the advocacy at a public inquiry to determine an appeal for an onshore wind farm in Devon (9 turbines). This was the first televised wind farm inquiry.
• Teesside – advising on the first offshore wind farm to obtain consent in North East England (30 turbines) which is next to a European designated Special Protection Area.
• London Array – advising on this major proposal which is to be the largest offshore wind farm in the world (271 turbines).
• Harestanes – advising ScottishPower in relation to this 71 turbine proposal in Dumfries and Galloway which received consent following a public inquiry.

Marcus has higher rights of audience in the High Court in all proceedings and in other courts, in all civil proceedings.

Marcus is a board member of the British Wind Energy Association and is a legal associate member of The Royal Town Planning Institute. He is an external lecturer on energy law at the Centre for Renewable Energy Studies at Loughborough University.

Marcus is recognised as a leader in his field by Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession 2008. Chambers cites client comments describing him as “the best” … “broad spectrum of advisory and advocacy abilities” … “understanding of clients’ needs, great judgement at all levels and nice personality” … “fantastic reputation”.

Legal 500 2007 says Marcus is ‘highly rated for his expertise in renewable energy … is particularly well thought of … has an outstanding reputation, and is recognised by clients as “one of the most reliable advisers in this area”’

Career

1991 Partner, Bond Pearce

1990 Solicitor, Bond Pearce

1983 Qualified

1981 – 1983 Articles Bond Pearce

Queen's University, Belfast BA (Hons) economic and social history

Brendan Turvey - Policy and Advice Officer - Renewables - Scottish Natural Heritage

Brendan started his career in renewables 8 years ago with Enviros consulting where he worked on windfarm EIAs across Scotland. He then moved to the Business Environment Partnership in 2002 where he worked to promote small scale renewable energy amongst businesses, including wind, biomass and hydro projects. He also established the Hydrogen Office project, one of the most innnovative renewables / hydrogen projects in the UK, currently being built in Methil, Fife. Brendan joined SNH in March 2007 and works on renewables policy issues across SNH.

Bruce Valpy - Director - BVG Associates Ltd

Bruce Valpy has more than 20 years of experience in the wind industry, having held significant R&D positions within Vestas, NEG Micon and UK’s Wind Energy Group, including steering the design of large offshore-ready turbines. Bruce founded BVG Associates Ltd in early 2005 growing a diverse client base including the market leaders in the wind turbine and tidal turbine sectors, British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), UK Government, utility providers, multi-nationals and private companies on four continents. Bruce remains hands-on in the industry providing technical expertise regarding conceptual design, testing, field experience and practicalities for a wide range of turbine and components for the wind and ocean current sectors. Bruce’s long experience in the wind industry also enables him to provide strategic business development assistance to a range of new entrants to the wind industry. Bruce also leads supply chain development activities in the wind industry for the UK Government and acts on The British Wind Energy Association’s (BWEA) working groups on offshore wind delivery, R&D and skills.

BVG Associates is a technical consultancy providing expertise in the design, implementation and economics of fuel-less renewable electricity generation systems.

The purpose of BVG Associates is to help establish fuel-less renewable electricity generation as major, responsible and cost-effective partner in a balanced global energy portfolio.

Henning von Barsewisch - Managing Director - REpower UK Ltd

Born in Hamburg, Germany in May 1969, Henning graduated from the Technical University of Berlin with a Masters in Industrial Engineering and holds a Masters in Management from the Toulouse Business School (Ecole Superieure de Commerce), France.

After graduating, he worked as a Management Consultant with Bain & Company in Munich, Germany developing and implementing corporate strategy. In 2001, he joined Helm Tool Inc. in Chicago, USA, as Vice President Business Development. Henning was involved with REpower UK from its inception in 2003 as Managing Director when he moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. He has led 3rd largest supplier of wind the company’s development to becoming the 3 turbines in the UK in 2006 with over 120MW.

In 2007, Henning was elected as a director to the board of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA).

Mikio Waki

1984-2002
FUJITSU Japan
Manufacturing and Technology Assessment of Mobile Communication-related

2003
Established Wits Ltd. as a Manufacturing Coordinator

2006 - Present
HYPER DRIVE Corporation

Assumed the position of COO & CTO when HYPER DRIVE was established
Research and Development of Power Generation Systems and Acoustic Systems Using Electro Active Polymer Artificial Muscle (EPAM)

2007
Won the Best Paper Award in EcoDesign2007 (5th International Symposium on Environmental Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing) December 2007, Tokyo

Elaine Waterson - Strategy Manager - Energy Saving Trust

Elaine is the Energy Saving Trust’s Strategy Manager for the Devolved Administrations and responsible for the Trust’s policy activities relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. She has been with the Energy Saving Trust since 2001. Before moving to the Energy Saving Trust’s office in Scotland in late 2005 she worked as the Energy Saving Trust’s Strategy Manager for Energy Efficiency, working on a variety of energy efficiency projects, primarily related to fiscal measures, education, the Energy Efficiency Commitment, fuel poverty, and health. She has authored the Energy Saving Trust’s publications ‘Changing Climate, Changing Behaviour – Delivering Energy Saving t hrough Fiscal Incentives’, and ‘The role of education and schools in shaping energy-related consumer behaviour’, and more recently, has been responsible for the delivery of the Energy Saving Trust’s recent Scottish report ‘Generating the Future: An analysis of policy interventions to achieve widespread microgeneration in Scotland’.

She has a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Environmental Technology.

Nick Wessels - Marketing & Sales Engineer - Ulstein Sea of Solutions BV

Nick Wessels graduated from nautical college as a maritime officer and marine engineer followed by a bachelor’s degree in marine logistics at the Rotterdam University of Professional Education. His graduation assignment dealt with offshore safety case regulations. He gained sailing experiences in the merchant navy as well as in the offshore industry in (combined) positions as a ship’s mate, ship’s engineer, DP officer and ROV pilot.

After his sailing period he joined Holland Marine Equipment, trade association of marine equipment suppliers, where he held the positions of project manager for technologies and deputy director for 8 years. At the beginning of 2007 he started with Sea of Solutions (now part of the Ulstein Group of Norway) as Marketing and Sales Engineer.

Ulstein Sea of Solutions develops projects for operators, contractors and ship owners in the exploration, construction and production market, as well as the maritime transport market. It is a private company providing products and services on an independent and confidential basis. Beside designs for newbuild vessels, the company is actively involved in upgrade and conversion projects for existing offshore vessels.

Mike Weston -Operations Director -London Bus Services Ltd

Mike Weston is TfL’s Operations Director. After graduating from Loughborough University in Transport Planning and Economics Mike joined London Transport in 1985, initially in network planning and then moving on to other areas such as management of bus contracts and infrastructure. Mike became Head of Operations in 2003 and in August 2004 Mike was promoted to Operations Director which widened his responsibility. He now manages the delivery of bus operations, safety and the environment for Surface Transport, and is also responsible for managing the business units of Victoria Coach Station, London River Services, Dial-a-Ride and East Thames Buses.

John Westwood - Chairman - Douglas-Westwood

At the first All-Energy in 2001 John Westwood forecast a dramatic rise in oil and consequently all other energy prices. Then again in 2005 with oil at $50, in an interview by the Wall Street Journal he stated, “Recent oil prices are just a practice for the real thing”.

Now, with $110 oil and non-OPEC reserves depleting, Russian production at peak and global demand still growing are we approaching the much-discussed “peak-oil”? And at these high oil prices can renewable energy compete for limited supply chain resources and sufficient investment?

“A top offshore analyst” Oil & Gas Journal

John Westwood is a noted commentator on the energy industries, interviewed on channels such as BBC, Bloomberg and CNBC, plus Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal and regional media worldwide. With a technical background he worked in the North Sea oil industry, has formed three energy-sector companies and sold two.

He has spent the past 18 years heading industry analysts Douglas-Westwood Limited which has completed over 500 projects since its formation in 1990 and has provided information and advisory services to clients in 37 countries. Although the firm has clients amongst governments, energy majors and their contractors, it primarily provides services to investment houses – in the past year alone it has advised on supply sector merger, acquisition and financing deals across four continents totalling nearly $10 billion.

Malcolm Wicks MP - Minister of State for Energy

Malcolm Wicks was appointed Minister of State for Energy on 29 June 2007.

Mr Wicks was previously Minister of State for Science and Innovation (November 2006 to June 2007) and, before that, Minister of State for Energy (May 2005 to November 2006) at the Department of Trade and Industry.

Before joining DTI, Mr Wicks was Minister of State for Pensions (June 2003 - May 2005) and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work (June 2001 - June 2003) at the Department for Work and Pensions and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Lifelong Learning at the Department for Education and Employment (appointed July 1999). Mr Wicks was the Chairman of the Education Select Committee from 1998 until his appointment as a Minister. He has been Member of Parliament for Croydon North since 1992.

Mr Wicks was educated at North West London Polytechnic and the London School of Economics. Between 1974 and 1977, he was a university lecturer and from 1968 to 1974 a social policy analyst at the Home Office. He was Director of the Family Policy Studies Centre before entering Parliament. He is the author of several books and reports on aspects of the welfare state.

Mr Wicks has been a member of the Social Security Select Committee. His Private Member's Bill, now the Carers' (Recognition and Services Act), came into force in April 1996. From 1995 Mr Wicks was the Opposition spokesperson on social security.

Mr Wicks is married with three children. His recreations are music, walking and gardening.

Dane Wilkins - Assistant Director - Ernst and Young

Dane Wilkins joined Ernst and Young in 2003 after working with Deloitte & Touche corporate finance, where he worked on a number of acquisition due diligence and vendor due diligence assignments.  Prior to that he trained with KPMG.

Dane is now Assistant Director in Ernst and Young’s Renewable Energy Group where he specialises in the raising of equity and debt for renewable energy projects and advising investors in the sector. He has advised a number of companies including Scottish Power plc, Eon, and RES Ltd and has advised on a wide variety of different technologies although he has had a particular focus on onshore wind, CHP and EfW.

Dane Wilkins is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) and has a first Class BSc in Business Management from Imperial College.

David Williams - Chief Executive - British Hydropower Association

David Williams has been the Chief Executive of the BHA since January 2006. Previously he was seconded to UK Trade & Investment (the UK Government overseas trade support agency) as an Export Promoter for Hydropower In this position he assisted export business and promoted companies in the hydropower sector. In 2004 he was also appointed as a Visiting Professor of Engineering to the University of Edinburgh.

From 1964 to 1995, he served in roles of increasing responsibility for Gilbert, Gilkes & Gordon Ltd, manufacturer and supplier of water turbine generating equipment, ultimately overseeing sales and marketing for the Small Hydropower market worldwide.

He then established and managed a regional office in Kuala Lumpur covering South and South East Asia. He was elected as a Council Member of the British Hydropower Association in 2000 and has served on the Council of the International Hydropower Association since 2001.

Nigel Williams - National Grid

Nigel is an Electrical Engineer by background and after graduating, spent 5 years on oil/gas exploration crews worldwide. He joined National Grid in 1989 and has worked his way thro (and survived) the operational and control-room environments. He joined New Business Development in 1992 and has since spent 8 years on overseas postings in Asia, Latin America and the USA on power and telecoms ventures. Nigel returned to the UK in 2003 and was Director of the BETTA project until Go-Live in April 05. He is now the Customer Services Manager in Commercial, Transmission with responsibility for all of National Grid’s Gas and Electric Connection Contracts and also for gas and electricity tariff setting and recovery of regulated income. Nigel is a Chartered Engineer and has a Masters degree in Engineering Management.
 

Dr Glen Wilson BEng (Hons), PhD - Harrison Goddard Foote

Glen obtained a first class honours degree in Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, winning both the best project and best overall student prizes in his final year. Glen then worked as a Design Engineer in the field of off-road vehicles for Terex Equipment Limited.

Following this, Glen completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Strathclyde University. His PhD project, under the Postgraduate Training Partnership (PTP) Scheme, investigated the crashworthiness of vehicle side impact beams. The PTP project, sponsored by Ford Motors, included industrial placement and Glen was primarily based at the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL), East Kilbride. The PTP scheme also included substantial training in business skills.

Glen then entered the Intellectual Property profession, where he worked for a wide range of clients, small and large, in the fields of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering. He has particular expertise in the fields of automotive engineering, the oil and gas sector and renewable energy technology.

Glen has been involved in a high number of European patent opposition cases, which included attendance at opposition oral proceedings.  Glen also handled a significant number of Trade Mark and Design cases.

He has a particular interest in IP Management, to provide the best commercial and strategic advice to clients on building and maintaining strong IP portfolios.  This has included a number of IP reviews and Audits for clients, some of which were carried out on behalf of the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Glen also enjoys face-to-face interaction with IP Managers and inventors. He has given many IP presentations to clients, students, and groups of inventors. He has also written articles on IP for journals and newsletters.

Glen became a registered UK Patent Attorney in 2005, a registered European Patent Attorney in 2006, and has recently become a registered Irish Patent Attorney.

Glen joined HGF in 2007 to help build up the practice in Glasgow.

Malcolm Wilson – University of Regina, Canada

Malcolm has a degree in Geology from the university of Nottingham and post-graduate degrees in palaeontology from the University of Saskatchewan. Following 20 years with the provincial government in Saskatchewan, Malcolm moved to the University of Regina to promote the Energy and Environment centre of excellence at the University.

Malcolm’s primary focus over the last 15 years has been the development of policy and technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This has included initiating the research component of the IEA Greenhouse Gas Programme Weyburn CO2 Monitoring and Storage project, being part of the creation and expansion of the University’s International Test Centre for CO2 Capture and formation of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative. Recently Malcolm was involved with others in the creation of the IPCC Special report on carbon capture and storage – part of the IPCC team that won the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007.

Stephen Wilson - Director of Wind and Marine - NaREC

Stephen Wilson, Director of Wind and Marine at NaREC. Stephen is a graduate in mechanical  and manufacturing systems engineering from Leeds University. Since joining NaREC in 2005, Stephen has played a key part in the transition of NaREC from building some of the largest testing facilites in the world to being a service delivery, customer focused company. Previously Director of Sales and Marketing at NaREC, Stephen has identified market/industry needs , reviewed competition and brought together collaborative partnership opportunities including testing and consultancy services agreements. Stephen is now focused on the offshore wind and marine sectors driving forward NaREC's new devlopments to meet with the ambitions of industry it serves.

Andrew Winship - UK Hydrogen Solution Manager - The Linde Group

Andrew graduated from Leeds University in 1989 and has spent the majority of his career in chemicals and energy business. He worked for BP at their research and development centre at Sunbury-on-Thames looking at combustion processes before joining Total (formerly Elf Oil UK). At Total he was responsible for providing technical support to the downstream refining and marketing operations. Andrew joined BOC in 1998 and has had varying roles in product development and technology sales and marketing to the oil refining sector. In 2006, he took over responsibility for BOC/Linde’s UK hydrogen solutions business activities. He is a chartered member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and has an MBA from Warwick University Business School.

Magnus Wolfe Murray - Development Director - RESET

Magnus has been working in the field of community development and emergency / disaster response since 1990. Initially with an NGO he founded in Edinburgh to work in Romania and later Bosnia, establishing community-based reconstruction and water-supply programmes, developing methodology that was later adopted by the UN and international donors as models for major reconstruction programmes after the war. In 1997 he graduated with a MA in Post-War Recovery Studies from the University of York and went on to work with NGOs in the primary health care sector across East Africa, then Liberia and Indonesia. Since 2004 he has been an advisor for the United Nations on matters of internal displacement and community development, primarily in Liberia and the Maldives. In 2006 he started a MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies as the University of East London / Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales, which led him to set up RESET, to share sustainable energy and construction systems with the aid and international development community.

Dr Jeremy Woods - Lecturer - Porter Alliance & Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London

Dr Jeremy Woods is a lecturer in bioenergy at Imperial College London where he leads the sustainability assessment component of the Porter Alliance and is a member of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology. He has developed research interests into the interplay between development, land-use and the sustainable exploitation of renewable and non-renewable resources, in particular biomass energy. He is a member of the:

• Royal Society’s Working Group on Biofuels
• The Greenhouse Gas Expert Advisory Board to the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels
• Advisory Board of the UK’s Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA)- Biofuels Review
• Board of Trustee’s for the Environmental Law Foundation (www.elflaw.org)
• Board of Trustees for Plan Vivo (www.planvivo.org) - a system for managing the supply of verifiable emission reductions from rural communities in a way that promotes sustainable livelihoods.

Research Activities:

• Scientific coordinator of the EU funded 'Competence Platform for Energy Crops - Africa (COMPETE)' Network.
• Coordinator NERC’s QUATERMASS ‘Quantifying and Understanding the role of bioenergy and avoided deforestation’ project, a part of its QUEST programme.

Recent work has included collaborating on assessments of the Sustainability of Co-firing and of renewable transport fuels for UK-DTI and of the potential for sugarcane based energy in southern Africa. He is a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and helped to produce a framework 'International Bioenergy Platform.' He recently became chairman of the UK-Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment, which is a national member of the ICSU- hosted global SCOPE network on science and the environment. For the last 11 years, he has also been working on the use of sweet sorghum for bioenergy production in the EU, Africa (Zambia and Zimbabwe) and Asia. He lectures on the Environmental Technology and Policy MSc at Imperial College London. He is also a director of Themba Technology Ltd (www.thembatech.com), a UK-based company which aims to promote the use of renewable energy both locally and internationally.

John Woods - Vice President of Energy Development - Minas Basin Pulp & Power

John Woods is an electrical engineer, graduating from Dalhousie University in 1970.

John has spent his entire career in the energy industry including employment in an electrical utility, a consulting engineer, a consumers advocate for the electricity industry, and as a wind developer with Suez Energy.

John is currently the Vice President of Energy Development at Minas Basin Pulp & Power, a company with a decades-old history of sustainable development in Nova Scotia. Minas is currently building North America's only ocean instream energy demonstration facility and John is here to talk about it.

Martin Wright – Managing Director - Marine Current Turbines Limited

Martin is one of the founders of Marine Current Turbines Limited and joined the company full-time in February 2002.  He has an M.A. (Hons) in Economics form Edinburgh, and an M.Eng in Petroleum Engineering form Heriot-Watt.  He started his career as a Seaman Officer in the Royal Navy where he completed a short service commission serving in a variety of ships culminating an appointment as Executive Officer of a Minehunter. Prior to joining MCT he worked for nine years as a Venture Capitalist with Murray Johnstone Limited, and then latterly with Northern Venture Managers Limited where he was responsible for starting and developing NVM’s business in the South of England.

Martin has corporate finance skills and commercial experience spanning a wide breath of industries developed whilst working as a venture capitalist, and as a director of investee companies.  In particular he is very familiar with the issues involved in early stage technology companies.  Renewable Energy had been a particular interest for a number of years prior to becoming involved with Marine Current Turbines. The technology, environment and stage of the company represented a natural fit for his background and experience.