Finance and funding - The Low Carbon Funding Landscape - Biographies

Dr Grant Bourhill - Programme Delivery Director, Energy Technology Institute

Grant Bourhill joined the Energy Technologies Institute as Director of Programme Delivery in April 2008. He was formerly Director of Business Development at Sharp Laboratories Europe. During his seven years at Sharp, Grant held roles including Director of R&T Programme Delivery for Optical Systems, as well as leading a team that established and maintained several global collaborative programmes. He successfully developed a number of technologies within his portfolio from concept through to successful overseas mass manufacture. Grant has also been involved significantly in IP management for both internal technology development as well as external company technology spin-in.

Prior to Sharp, Grant spent five years at QinetiQ in emerging technology management, including work on innovative composite damage sensors, which was recognised by the Rank Prize for Optoelectronics.

Grant graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a BSc in Chemistry and subsequently completed his PhD in Nonlinear Optics at the same university. He has been a recipient of both a NASA Fellowship and a Von Humboldt Research Fellowship and has over 30 patents and more than 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has enjoyed periods living and working in the USA, Japan and Germany.

Dr Brian Cane - Director, Energy Supply and Generation Knowledge Transfer Network

Dr Brian Cane is Associate Director at TWI responsible for TWI’s worldwide activities in Power and Energy sectors. He is also Director of the UK Government’s Energy Generation & Supply Knowledge Transfer Network aimed at accelerating innovation and deployment of sustainable energy technologies including fossil, renewables and nuclear areas. Brian started out with 12 years in the Central Electricity Generating Board. He subsequently worked for research and consulting companies including ERA and AEA Technology where he built global energy businesses.

Will Davies - Lead Technologist, Energy Generation and Supply, Technology Strategy Board

Will started his Career in Shell International, working in line management in Sales, Marketing, Operations and Trading before moving into General Management and then the Strategy, Consulting and Turnaround team where he led acquisitions, new market entries and turnaround programmes across the world. Moving to BG Group based in the UK, he worked in Corporate Development and headed a number of new ventures, including as CEO of the Cleantech Venture, MicroGen.

After returning to Shell to set up a number of downstream gas and electricity businesses across the EU, he then decided to pursue a more entrepreneurial career and focus on the emerging Cleantech sector. This has included setting up the EU business as the European General Manager for a Micro-CHP company, setting up a Community Interest Company which delivered whole house energy retrofit solutions including heat pumps to over 4,000 fuel poor homes, and developing a new utility solution for developers where buildings run entirely on water.

Having worked right across the energy sector in over 35 countries worldwide, he feels fortunate to be part of such an exciting industry which has enabled him to work with remarkable people worldwide and with a hugely diverse and fascinating range of technologies and business challenges. His career passion is for developing and turning around businesses associated with the energy sector.

Dr Garry Staunton - Technology Director, The Carbon Trust

Garry joined the Carbon Trust in 2002. Since then he has played a key role in the development and delivery of the range of measures the Carbon Trust uses to support the emergence of low carbon technologies. As well as developing R&D and technology acceleration projects he has helped deliver incubation support to small companies and due diligence services to the Carbon Trust Venture Capital team. His current responsibilities include 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.

Dr Andrew Wright - Senior Strategy Manager for Energy at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Andrew is the Senior Strategy Manager in the Research Councils' Energy Programme. He co-ordinates the Research Councils' involvement in ETI working closely with TSB, Carbon Trust as well as Government Departments. He is also responsible for the development of grand challenges in energy networks.