ELUK2025 Confirmed Speakers

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Bill Esterson has been MP for Sefton Central since 2010 and was elected Chair of the Commons Select Committee for Energy Security and Net Zero in September 2024. 

He has previously held the position of Shadow Minister for Transport, Shadow Minister for Business and Industry, Shadow Minister for International Trade and Shadow Minister for Small Business. 

Mr Esterson started and grew two businesses between 1995 and 2010 and was a local councillor before entering parliament. He graduated from Leeds University in 1990 with BSc Hons in Maths and Philosophy and trained as a chartered accountant after graduating.

I am an experienced engineer and training professional with 15 years of combined practice in the manufacturing, automotive, and nuclear industries.

I started my engineering career in a factory in Jarrow and have since worked for an amazing automation firm in Sunderland (AR Controls), Sellafield, the National Nuclear Laboratory, and Jacobs Clean Energy (now part of Amentum).

My lecturing career spans the National College for Nuclear Southern & Northern Hubs, Furness College, and Hartlepool College, teaching Electrical, Mechanical, and Nuclear Engineering; as well as working to deliver innovative behavioural courses. I was also the Training Lead for Sellafield’s Specialist Equipment Services and Sitewide Services Divisions – combining over 800 specialist engineering personnel.

Leaving sixth form with awful A Level results, I have since achieved my HNC and BEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, an MSc in Management, PGDip in Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors, and a PGCertEd in Education and Training – I begin reading for my MBA in January 2025 and don’t plan to stop being in full time education for the foreseeable future.

My personal passion for lifelong learning, formal education, and fitness is channelled into my work where I consult to develop excellent training and learning solutions, and am a group fitness instructor at my local gym in the evening.

 Adrian is the global energy advisory lead at AECOM. He advises a portfolio of clients ranging from utilities, oil and gas companies to low carbon players, start-ups and investors.

The topics he covers includes low carbon investments (such as EV charging, hydrogen and carbon capture), energy security, ESG and navigating the energy transition.

Adrian has undertaken senior roles in the management consulting industry, including PwC, Booz Allen Hamilton and EY. He was also the managing director of a boutique energy consulting firm where he worked with the former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond.

Adrian has a degree in French and Spanish from Southampton University and a Masters in International History from the London School of Economics.

 Abbie Badcock-Broe is the Head of Corporate, UK and Decarbonisation Strategy at National Grid. In this role, Abbie is responsible for Board and Executive engagement on National Grid’s strategy, collaborating closely with UK business units and regulation teams on cross-cutting themes, challenges, and programmes. With a career spanning nearly two decades in the energy sector, Abbie has held various roles in strategy, consulting, corporate development, project management, business development, policy, and market analysis. She has experience working across Renewables, Energy Retail, Infrastructure and System Operations. She studied Complexity during her International Politics and Policy degree, and is passionate about shaping a sustainable future. 

  Chris Gilbert has 40 years industry experience covering the upstream, chemicals and refining sectors. 

For 24 years, Chris worked for Phillips 66 in the UK, Germany and the US. From 2019, Chris was Technical Manager and UK Decarbonisation Lead at The Humber Refinery, one of the most complex in the UK. The facility is positioning itself as the Refinery of the Future, such as processing used cooking oil at scale to produce sustainable aviation fuel with other waste feedstocks trialled. Furthermore, the refinery is unique in Europe as the only producer of specialty graphite coke, a critical mineral in the production of electric vehicle batteries. 

As well as implementing projects to lower the carbon intensity of finished products, Chris and his team identified pathways to achieve a 90+% reduction in operational emissions. This involved cross-cluster collaboration though the Humber region, participating in Humber Zero to capture and sequestrate CO2, and several blue and green hydrogen projects to refuel the refinery’s large industrial heaters. 

Chris held other leadership roles at Phillips 66 in operations, turnaround execution and production planning, as well as several major projects. 

Since retiring from Phillips 66 in 2023, Chris works as an independent consultant assisting companies with their decarbonisation journey, specialising in project development leading to a final investment decision. Chris also has a passion in advocating for industry to attract the talent needed for the energy transition, particularly apprenticeships. 

Prior to joining Phillips 66, Chris worked at Exxon; UOP, the process licensor; and a major engineering contractor. 

Chris graduated from University College London in 1984 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. 

 Simon Virley is Vice Chair and Head of Energy and Natural Resources at KPMG in the UK. He leads on energy, climate change and green issues for the UK firm and is part of KPMG’s Global Energy Leadership Team. He advises some of the world’s largest companies on all aspects of the energy transition and the shift to Net Zero.

Simon has over 30 years’ experience advising on energy and climate issues. Before joining KPMG in early 2015, he spent 25 years in the UK Government, including at No10 Downing Street (where he was Private Secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair), the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury (where he led work on ‘green taxes’) and latterly as Director General for Energy in the Department of Energy and Climate Change between 2009-15, where he led the Electricity Market Reforms (EMR) under the Coalition Government, which resulted in the share of renewables in GB power generation rising from 6% in 2008 to over 45% today. 

Simon is a Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI) and was made a Companion of the Bath (CB) in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his work on energy and climate change issues.  He is also chairs UCL’s Centre for Net Zero Market Design, is on the Markets Advisory Council of the National Energy System Operator (NESO), the CBI Net Zero Board and the Executive Council of the Parliamentary Group on Energy Studies (PGES).

With a BSc in Fuel & Energy and an MSc in Renewable energy, Kate has experience and expertise across all renewable energy technologies and a passion for delivering Net Zero. Kate believes that not only is Net Zero of strategic importance, in terms of CO2 savings and climate change mitigation, but also with the increased urgency around the UK's Energy security, added to the pressing requirement to dramatically reduce the cost of energy and alleviate the pressure of price shocks.

With years of experience, Kate brings a whole system thinking perspective to our Net Zero transition and recognises the importance that all technologies are included in the mix. Kate is pushing hard to ensure that Hydropower, Pumped Storage Hydropower and Tidal Range are recognised as a key foundational features of a decarbonised grid, fit for the future.

Lynne was appointed by the National Nuclear Skills Task Force In October 23 to head up Destination Nuclear, the UKs first ever cross sector communications programme. This Government backed ambitious programme was launched in February 2024 and aims to support the sectors aim to attract more people, particularly in the critical skills areas, and grow the workforce required to deliver the UKs nuclear ambition in defence and net zero energy.

The programme has gained future support and Lynne will continue her secondment from EDF to develop the national strategy and lead the team delivering the programme in collaboration with the whole sector.

Experienced in Marketing and PR, Lynne joined the nuclear industry as part of a start up team that developed British Energy’s B2B business and took it to market leading position. In a move to EDF Nuclear New Build she has lead on the development of regional and national skills capacity and capability solutions as a key part of project delivery and risk mitigation. EDF having successfully achieved approval and investment for Hinkley Point C, she moved on to lead the early socio-economic work on Bradwell B and supported the early work on the investment case for Sizewell C.

Lynne continued to work closely with Government and Industry as she moved to a short term secondment as Director for The UKs Nuclear Sector Deal. This involved identifying critical areas that required cross sector collaboration and bringing people together to work on solutions. This role included support to the Great British Nuclear Taskforce Capability and Capacity sprint team

Throughout her career she has worked on a number of global projects in Asia and Europe as an SME and Chair of various working groups for IAEA.

  Asif is an experienced C-Level Executive in the energy market.  Asif has been CEO of Ecotricity for over 5 years, following 4 years as COO.

Asif has previously worked for Ofgem – UK’s energy regulator – where he spent 3 years.  He then spent 10 years at Powergen/E.ON, the World’s largest investor-owned utility.  

Ecotricity has been in the UK market for nearly 30 years, supplies 100% green electricity for its customers and reinvests profits to build and generate renewable energy.

As well as being CEO of Ecotricity, he was recently also appointed as CEO of Green Britain Group.  The focus of the GBG is at the forefront of the global green industrial revolution. Forward-thinking, innovative, low-carbon – our businesses are pioneers in the new green economy.

In addition to Ecotricity, companies in GBG include: Skydiamond, Ecotalk, Britwind, Devils Kitchen and Forest Green Rovers (the Worlds greenest football club).

The companies in the group are fighting the climate crisis by offering consumers and businesses another way of doing things in the industries that create the most atmospheric carbon – energy, transport and food. 

 Leo is the CEO and founder of EdenLab the global green growth and sustainability innovation consultancy. 

EdenLab is 100% focused on switching demand to greener, cleaner products, brands and business models. 

If you need help picturing a viable future he’ll help you figure it out, if you’ve got the right products he’ll help you get them to market at scale, and if you don’t he’ll help you design them.

EdenLab works on commercialising sustainability for clients like The FT, The FA, The Trainline, Unilever, Danone and EDF Ventures as well as a number of promising ClimateTech firms working in carbon capture, biodiversity monitoring and waste upcycling.

Previously he was CEO of world famous ad agency Grey London, where he had also been Chief Strategy Officer, before launching Grey Consulting a management consultancy within WPP. 

Leo gained a distinction in Business Sustainability Management from the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership and has an MA from Oxford. He’s a domain expert adviser to Carbon13 the Cambridge-based venture builder for the climate emergency. Leo has recently lectured at The Saïd Business School, the London School of Economics, UCL, Oxford University and The Marketing Society.

 Natascha was Labour Member of Parliament for North East Derbyshire from 2005 to 2017. She set up and chaired the Backbench Business select committee from 2010 to 2015 and served as House of Commons Deputy Speaker. Her policy specialisms are energy, manufacturing and infrastructure.

After Parliament, Natascha was Partner at policy and opinion research agency Public First where she set up the Energy and Infrastructure practice. Since then, Natascha founded cross-party think tank, Palace Yard which hosts policy events and provides succinct and accessible briefings for policymakers.

James Ringrow has been Director of Strategy at the Data Communications Company, operators of Britain’s smart meter network, since 2022. James leads development of DCC’s corporate strategy, proactive and reactive responses to Government policy and continued discussions on how maximum value can be extracted from smart metering.

Prior to DCC, James spent a number of years in strategy consulting working with organisations across the energy, mobility and industrial sectors.