ELUK2026 Confirmed Speakers

---

  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. 

 Richard Tice is a British businessman and politician. With over 35 years in property investment, he served as CEO of CLS Holdings (2010-2014), tripling its share price. A key Brexit advocate, Tice co-founded Leave.EU and Leave Means Leave. He joined the Brexit Party in 2019, which became Reform UK in 2021, becoming chairman, then leader (2021-2024). He was elected MP for Boston and Skegness in 2024, and is currently Reform UK’s Deputy Leader, pushing for higher growth, immigration control, and sensible energy policies. 

 Harriet Cross MP was elected as the Member of Parliament for Gordon and Buchan at the 2024 General Election.

Since entering Parliament, Harriet has prioritised support for the constituency’s key industries, particularly the energy sector. She has consistently advocated for the removal of the Energy Profits Levy, the lifting of the ban on new licences, and the approval of the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields.

Before her election, Harriet worked as a Chartered Rural Surveyor across Aberdeenshire and the Highlands. She studied Zoology at Imperial College London before completing a Master’s degree in Rural Land and Business Management at the University of Reading.

  Laura Sandys has been working in energy transformation for 20 years and chairs the Government’s Network Innovation Taskforce, The Green Alliance, The Food Foundation and Electrify Industry. She is an advisor to the International Energy Agency on smart grids and is on the board of SSE Transmission, Ohme Global, Sero Homes and Highview Power. 

She was the Chair of the UK Government’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce and is now working globally to spread best practise of the digitalisation of the energy system.  She was also a member of the UK Government’s Energy Efficiency Taskforce chairing the domestic efficiency working group.

She co-founder of POWERful Women and was former Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency.  She chaired the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy Group and is member of the UK Ministerial Council for Carbon Capture and Storage. 

Laura was awarded a CBE in recognition for her work on energy policy, was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award by Green Economy by Business Green and Utility Week Industry Champion. She has recently been appointed Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College. 

She was previously a Member of Parliament for South Thanet, and described by The Times as ‘one of the sanest of all MPs’ and as ‘lateral-minded, original and free-thinking’.  

  Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC enjoys a distinguished career in law and public life. He is a practising barrister at Foundry Chambers and is a consultant at DAC Beachcroft. He is the Third Church Estates Commissioner and is a Visting Professor in Practice at LSE Law School, and makes regular contributions to policy debates on AI and justice, regulatory law, autism and criminal justice. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He was recently appointed by the Home Secretary as Independent Reviewer of the Murder of Sir David Amess MP.

Sir Robert entered the Commons as Conservative MP for South Swindon in 2010, and during his fourteen years in Parliament, Robert served in the Conservative Governments of four Prime Ministers, becoming Solicitor General in 2014, Minister of State for Justice in 2019 and then entering the Cabinet as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from 2019 to 2021. He returned to Cabinet as Secretary of State for Wales in 2022 and Chaired the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from 2023-24. 

Robert was Secretary of the 1922 Committee from 2012-14 and was Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism. He most recently chaired an independent review into autism and employment, which culminated in a report published in 2024. Robert campaigns on disability issues, domestic abuse and criminal law reform.

Prior to his election as an MP, Robert was a criminal barrister for nearly twenty years and a member of the Attorney General’s Prosecuting List. He was appointed a Crown Court Recorder in 2009 and took Silk in 2014. He was Senior Counsel and Head of Policy at Payne Hicks Beach LLP from 2023-2026.

Sir Robert writes and lectures regularly on constitutional law matters, current affairs and political history, collaborating on several books on these issues. He was made a Knight Commander of the British Empire in 2022. He was a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School from 2023-25. He is a Bencher of Inner Temple and a Freeman of the City of London.

Prior to joining the National Wealth Fund, Oliver was CEO of RBS International Holdings, 

a subsidiary of the NatWest Group, where he was on the Group Executive Committee for 

over four years. With over 25 years of experience across investment banking, 

government investments, and strategic leadership, Oliver has deep expertise in 

managing capital to deliver public value.

Previously he served as Chief Executive Officer of UK Financial Investments (UKFI), 

where he was responsible for managing the government’s shareholdings in RBS, Lloyds 

and UK Asset Resolution, overseeing complex, high-value shareholdings on behalf of 

the UK taxpayer.

Earlier in his career, Oliver spent over a decade at Bank of America, latterly as Managing 

Director of Equity Capital Markets for the UK, Ireland, and South Africa. His career has 

been defined by a strong track record in financial leadership, capital markets, and 

public sector engagement

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

The topics he covers includes data centres, fusion energy, low carbon investments (such as offshore wind, EV charging, hydrogen and carbon capture), energy security and navigating the energy transition. He regularly speaks at conferences, round tables and to the media and presents to clients, discussing macro trends in energy.

Adrian has undertaken senior roles in the management consulting industry, including PwC Strategy&, 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 and Lord Moynihan.

Adrian has a degree in French and Spanish from Southampton University and a Masters in International History from the London School of Economics. He is an advisor on multiple boards, lecturer and is a fellow of the Energy Institute.

 Richard has been employed in the electricity distribution and transmission sector for the past 35 years and is a true subject matter expert. He gained operational management experience working for a DNO and various overhead line contractors throughout the UK and into Europe. Projects ranged from low voltage network refurbishment to 132kV Trident wood pole and tower construction, included a significant amount of 11kV BLX rebuild and also a 70km underground fibre optic cable installation. Now working with Osmose, he collaborates strategically with UK DNOs and contractors providing expertise on grid asset life extension solutions such as trussing and supporting DNOs in their goal of restoring their wood pole networks across the UK.

 Elina is a fusion plasma physicist with over 20 years of international experience who transforms complex challenges into opportunities for advancement. For the past decade, she led an innovative, boundary-pushing project for ITER, the multibillion-dollar international fusion experiment, demonstrating the feasibility of achieving one of its key operational goals: generating 500 MW of fusion power while respecting engineering and operational limits. 

Driven by curiosity and purpose, Elina thrives on sparking that same sense of wonder for STEM in others. She believes true impact begins when knowledge is shared—when ideas ignite minds and inspire action. Whether she gives strategic input to wider programmes to increase the STEM workforce, or guides individuals through one-to-one conversations, Elina’s mission is to empower others to pursue their goals and achieve what matters most to them. 

As Women in Nuclear UK Network Executive (job share), Elina drives equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives across the UK nuclear sector.

 Derreck van Gelderen is PA Consulting's Head of AI Strategy and AI Lead for Energy and Utilities. He leads the AI and Investment Strategy practice across private and public sector organisations. With over 15 years' experience in designing, developing, and deploying complex models, Derreck bridges the gap between strategic advisory, data and emerging AI technologies. He specialises in guiding organisations through their AI journeys – from understanding AI's disruptive potential and identifying strategic opportunities, to deploying industry-first AI solutions and scaling enterprise-wide AI adoption. Before consulting, Derreck lectured at the University of Bristol while completing his PhD in Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics.     

  Trevor Hutchings, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) brings a wealth of policy, industry and commercial experience across the clean energy transition and circular economy. Trevor's previous roles include the UK civil service, European Commission and international consultancy firms. He was also chair of the Green Purposes Company set up by the UK government to safeguard the green mission of the world’s first Green Investment Bank. He is a Fellow at the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals, a Fellow at the Energy Institute, and holds the IoD’s certificate in corporate governance. Under Trevor’s leadership, the Renewable Energy Association is a leading voice for clean energy and the circular economy, helping grow this vital sector of the UK economy.

 Juliette is Chief Communications Officer at Energy UK, the UK’s energy trade association, representing the breadth of the sector including large-scale electricity generators, retailers who sell energy to business and households, and companies delivering electrification across heat and transport. She has worked in the energy sector since 2011 in a variety of roles including leading communications for multi-billion pound electricity infrastructure projects and country regions at Equinor, Orsted and EDF Energy. 

Juliette has a Masters in Engineering, a diploma in financial management and is an honorary lecturer at the University of East Anglia. She is also a UK Ambassador for the Clean Energy Ministerial Equalities in Energy Transitions.  

 Fiona Reilly is an accomplished senior leader with over 30 years of experience in the energy sector, specializing in low-carbon solutions, nuclear, and renewable energy. Currently, she serves as the CEO of FiRe Energy Ltd, a consultancy that provides strategic advice on sustainable energy projects, and holds various non-executive and advisory roles, including UK Strategy Lead at Xlinks Ltd, Non-Executive Director of Ansaldo Nuclear, and Senior UK Representative and Co-Chair of the Economic Modelling Working Group for the Generation IV International Forum (GIF).

Her career spans leadership roles in both the private and public sectors, including senior positions at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, PWC, and Atlantic SuperConnection. Known for her expertise in nuclear services, ESG strategies, and governance frameworks, she has been instrumental in shaping energy infrastructure projects and promoting innovation in the industry.

An advocate for gender diversity, she also leads the Global Women in Nuclear Legal Initiative and mentors emerging talent within the nuclear sector. Her leadership style blends strategic vision, financial acumen, and a collaborative approach, making her a trusted advisor to governments, regulators, and industry leaders.

Fiona holds honorary fellowships with the Nuclear Institute and Energy Institute, and is deeply involved in charitable organizations such as the Matt Hampson Foundation and the NSPCC.

 Bahzad is a Manager at Westwood Global Energy Group, where he leads a team of analysts within the company’s offshore wind market intelligence division. He has previously worked in two leading UK based energy trade associations in a Senior Analyst position.  Bahzad initially started his career in the oil and gas sector, and then transitioned over to the offshore wind sector, gaining experience and knowledge of the market over the past ten years. Bahzad holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Politics, and he obtained this at SOAS. 

  A commercially minded engineer, Company Director and Board member. Over 25 years’ delivering successful results in different business model contexts and driving change to achieve better outcomes. Expert knowledge of energy markets, trading, ancillary services, risk management and programme leadership. Excellent track-record of delivering strong financial results by creating strategies and achieving goals through the continual development of people, systems, ways-of-working, AI and machine-learning. Senior relationships with Government, Regulator, Investment partners and industry. Rob plays a leading role in the UK/EU energy transformation, enabling low carbon and flexible electricity to meet net zero ambitions.

Rob is Director of Commercial, Customer & Regulation for National Grid’s Interconnectors business. He is also Director for National Grid Interconnectors Ltd, National Grid IFA2 Ltd, National Grid NSL Ltd and National Grid Viking Ltd.

Accountable for the commercial strategy of National Grid’s Interconnectors, including developing and optimising products, ancillary services and hedging strategies. Leading all aspects of commercial and regulatory interfaces with a focus on improving policy and market design. He is accountable for the customer portfolio and strategy, the communications and marketing around this, and the senior relationships with customers.

Rob spent 7 years with the UK’s Electricity System Operator and led the ESO’s National Control Centre through the difficult winter of 2020/21. He also led the ESO’s Balancing Programme - a £200m project to transform the ESO’s Control Centre IT capabilities before joining National Grid Ventures in May 2023.

He holds an Electrical & Electronic Engineering Degree from Strathclyde University and an Executive MBA from Manchester Business School.

 Abbie Badcock‑Broe is an industry strategist known for cutting through complexity to shape the future of the UK energy system. With 20 years’ experience advising Executives and Boards, she specialises in system‑wide problem‑solving — from decarbonisation and system operation to long‑range planning and organisational transformation. Her work consistently centres on one question: how customers, communities and industry actors will shape — and be shaped by — the energy system of the future.

Formerly Head of Corporate, UK & Decarbonisation Strategy at National Grid, Abbie has led major strategic shifts, built enterprise‑wide foresight capabilities and steered the long‑term narrative for the transition to the National Energy System Operator. Her earlier career spans energy retail, renewables, UK & European trade associations and consultancy, giving her a uniquely customer‑anchored perspective on system change.

A Royal Academy of Engineering Policy Fellow, Abbie is a regular voice on the main stage at leading industry forums.

  Sarah is the Energy Transition Director at DNV. She is a chemist by training with a PhD from University College London and a particular interest in molecules in the energy transition – these include carbon dioxide, hydrogen and the transitioning role of natural gas. Sarah started her career at British Gas Research in the 1980s and has worked in the energy industry ever since. She is currently based at DNV’s office on Loughborough University's campus.

 Eva Robson is a Chartered Civil Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers and a business development leader, committed to shaping the UK’s future energy landscape. Eva combines technical expertise with strategic insight to support the UK’s transition towards secure, affordable, and sustainable energy for all. 

In her current role at J Coffey, Eva drives business development across the energy, data centre, and net zero sectors. She is focused on identifying opportunities, accelerating the delivery of sustainable projects, and forging long-lasting partnerships that strengthen the UK’s energy infrastructure and resilience.

Eva previously spent eight years at Taylor Woodrow, beginning her career in engineering roles on major national infrastructure projects—including HS2—where she contributed as both a Site Engineer and Design Engineer.

Deeply motivated by sustainably responsible construction, Eva is passionate about advancing engineering practices through innovation to protect both current and future communities and environments.

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

He started my career as a technician in a ceramics factory and have since worked in the engineering departments of control & automation SMEs, consultancies, and big nuclear companies like Sellafield Limited and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory. Jamie worked on engineering projects programming industrial robots, production lines, and innovative technologies for nuclear decommissioning.

His lecturing career spans the National College for Nuclear Southern & Northern Hubs and the University of Cumbria, teaching Electrical, Mechanical, Nuclear, and Computer Engineering; as well as working to deliver innovative behavioural courses for graduates.

Jamie's personal passion for lifelong learning, formal education, and fitness is channelled into his work where he consult to develop excellent training and learning solutions. 

 Alex Davis is a Business Transformation Consultant at Moore Insight, helping organisations navigate complex change with greater clarity and confidence.

Drawing on a background in leadership, strategy, organisational change and digital transformation, Alex works with organisations to turn ambitious goals into practical action.

His focus is on helping leaders strengthen delivery, improve decision-making, and create the conditions for sustainable change.

Alex brings a transformation and investment-readiness perspective to the clean energy conversation.

His view is that attracting investment requires more than ambition. It depends on strong governance, credible delivery plans, and the ability to translate strategy into outcomes that investors, partners, and communities can trust.

Alex is particularly interested in how stronger collaboration between industry, government, finance, and local delivery partners can help unlock long-term value from the UK's energy transition.

  Richard Britton is the Global Head of Offshore at Nadara responsible for delivery of their floating offshore wind portfolio in the UK and Italy. With nearly 20 years’ experience in project development, offshore technical solutions and strategic delivery, he has played a central role in advancing large‑scale offshore wind projects around the world.

More recently responsible for development phase projects at Iberdrola as Global Development Director he has overseen approx. 5GW of consents and is an industry leader in the permitting and environmental sustainability field. His work spans the full lifecycle of offshore wind development — from early‑stage feasibility and consenting through to engineering, compliance and construction.

In his past career Richard was a Master Mariner spending 12 years at sea with experience in the installation and maintenance of subsea cables and holds an MBA.

Known for his technical depth and collaborative leadership style, Richard is a frequent contributor to industry forums and a recognised voice in the global offshore wind sector.

  Lynne Matthews FNucI is a senior strategic adviser with over 25 years' experience in the UK civil nuclear and wider energy sectors, specialising in workforce strategy, skills development, stakeholder engagement and organisational transformation within highly regulated environments.

As Founder and Director of LM Consultants, she works with organisations across the energy sector on strategic positioning, workforce and skills programmes, market development, stakeholder engagement and the successful delivery of complex change.

Lynne previously led the trailblazing delivery of Destination Nuclear, the UK's first national nuclear workforce attraction programme, bringing together civil nuclear, defence, government and industry to help address the sector's projected requirement for 40,000 additional workers by 2030.

During her career with EDF, she developed workforce strategies for major infrastructure programmes including Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, and was seconded to lead delivery of workforce commitments within the UK's Nuclear Sector Deal, supporting collaboration across government and industry.

She advises international organisations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and EngineeringUK on workforce and skills policy. Recently elected a Fellow of the Nuclear Institute (FNucI) in recognition of her contribution to the profession, Lynne has also been recognised in the Nuclear Institute's Top 100 Most Influential Nuclear Professionals.

An experienced chair, facilitator and keynote speaker, Lynne is recognised for bringing together government, industry and academia to develop practical, collaborative solutions that support the future of clean energy.

 Mark Selby is Founding Editor of New Energy Weekly, a UK-focused publication covering the energy transition in the context of global market trends, policy and investment. He has over 15 years’ experience across energy journalism, market intelligence and strategic communications, including senior editorial roles at Energy Voice and Gas Strategies - as well as market reporting positions at Platts and Argus. His work has covered gas, LNG, power, renewables and wider energy transition issues, alongside regular engagement with senior industry leaders, policymakers and investors. 

 Huw Davies is Head of Skills for Fusion at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), where he leads work to develop the skills, workforce capability and talent pipelines needed to support the UK’s growing fusion sector and its future ambitions.

Huw has extensive experience in apprenticeships, early careers and strategic workforce development. Before joining UKAEA, he spent 20 years at the BBC working across technology, engineering operations, talent and training development. During this time, he helped develop new occupational standards and talent pathways supporting STEM careers across the creative and media industries, as well as leading the development of apprenticeship standards in data, machine learning engineering and artificial intelligence.

Originally trained as a chef before moving into technology, Huw is a strong advocate for creating different routes into skilled careers and developing talent throughout people’s working lives.

Alongside his UKAEA role, Huw chairs a national employer group working with Skills England on advanced digital and AI skills. At UKAEA, he is also helping to shape thinking around new apprenticeship pathways for critical future occupations across advanced science and technology. He is spearheading the development of the Skills for Fusion Industry Framework, bringing employers and partners together to better define the occupations, capabilities, knowledge and skills the UK will need as fusion moves from research towards industrial delivery.

 Andrew is an FCA-qualified accountant with over 15 years' experience delivering technology and business transformation across the public and private sectors.

His expertise spans ERP implementation, business cases, options appraisals, financial modelling and complex data migration programmes. Having worked extensively with central government and local authorities, he understands the challenges of modernising critical systems while balancing investment, risk and operational requirements.

Andrew brings a practical financial and transformation perspective to the discussion, exploring how robust investment decisions, reliable data and effective governance can support AI adoption and digital infrastructure growth while recognising the increasing pressures on Britain's energy system.

 Maurice Lynch is Engineering Director for Power at United Infrastructure, bringing extensive experience in electricity networks, grid connections and energy infrastructure. Having previously held senior roles at Electricity North West and Northern Powergrid, Maurice has expertise in network development, innovation and the challenges facing the UK’s electricity sector. His experience provides valuable insight into the growing power demands of data centres, grid capacity constraints and the infrastructure required to support the UK’s energy transition. 

 Alex Wolfe became CEO of the RTFA in September 2026. An international energy executive, top 10 podcaster, Chair and respected industry commentator, Alex brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience spanning energy, infrastructure, payments, commercial strategy and business transformation.

Having held senior leadership positions at Shell, Mabanaft and Certas Energy, Alex has extensive P&L accountability, experience leading teams of more than 300 people and a proven track record of delivering profitable growth, strategic M&A, innovation and operational excellence. His transaction experience includes fuel distribution businesses and truckstop networks.

Beyond his executive career, Alex is the founder and host of the Wolfe Power Club Podcast, one of the UK's leading energy podcasts, reaching 300,000 listeners weekly across 120 countries, with peak weekly audiences of 2.5 million across all platforms.

Alex also chairs The Spectator Energy Summit, bringing together influential voices shaping the future of energy, business and policy.

 Paul Kavanagh is an experienced infrastructure professional with over 30 years of experience working across engineering, project delivery, and infrastructure management in the United Kingdom.

Throughout his career Paul has held a range of operational and leadership roles, progressing from hands-on delivery positions into senior management. His practical knowledge of infrastructure projects, combined with strong leadership skills, has enabled him to support the successful delivery of complex projects across the UK.

Paul has also served as a Board Director for three railway infrastructure companies, contributing to strategic decision-making, business development, and operational oversight.

In recent years Paul has become increasingly involved in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure initiatives, supporting projects related to solar energy, low-carbon infrastructure, and renewable technology integration.

Alongside his project work, Paul is also involved in training and workforce development, helping support and mentor the next generation of infrastructure professionals.

Outside of work Paul enjoys travelling, classic cars, caravanning, and spending time with his family.

 Graham is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and Senior Manager with more than 20 years of experience across automotive manufacturing, oil and gas, offshore wind, electrification, and the wider energy transition. His career has spanned specialist engineering consultancy, feasibility and concept studies, Pre-FEED and FEED, detailed design, and project implementation. His expertise includes high-voltage transmission systems, offshore substations, unmanned facilities, and design for fabrication, installation, and reliability. Graham brings a delivery-focused perspective, helping to reduce uncertainty, strengthen project bankability, and translate investment ambition into practical, sustainable infrastructure. 

 Ewen Cairns is a dual‑qualified real estate, energy and infrastructure lawyer (England & Wales and Scotland) focused on one of the defining challenges of the energy transition: how to translate ambition into deliverable projects on the ground.

At the core of his work is a simple proposition—the energy transition is, fundamentally, a land and infrastructure challenge. Ewen advises developers, investors, funders and public sector bodies on the land, property and legal frameworks that determine whether projects move forward at pace or stall in complexity.

His experience spans the full lifecycle of energy and infrastructure assets, from site origination and land assembly through to development, financing, operation and long‑term optimisation. He works across the spectrum of low‑carbon technologies, including wind, solar, battery storage, EV charging, hydrogen and energy‑from‑waste, with a particular focus on projects where delivery depends on navigating competing land uses, grid constraints and multi‑stakeholder environments.

Ewen is recognised for structuring the legal “plumbing” that enables infrastructure to be built—options, leases, easements, wayleaves and grid‑related agreements—often across complex, multi‑site and portfolio‑scale developments. His work sits at the intersection of real estate strategy, infrastructure delivery and capital deployment, where much of the friction in the energy transition continues to sit.

His perspective is shaped by time spent in‑house as General Counsel within renewable energy and EV charging businesses, where he was directly involved in scaling national infrastructure rollouts. This experience informs a strongly delivery‑focused approach—grounded not in theory, but in how projects are actually executed across diverse real estate environments.

Ewen is particularly interested in the convergence of real estate and energy systems—how assets evolve from passive property holdings into active infrastructure platforms. He works with investors, developers and asset managers to embed energy generation, storage and transport infrastructure into the built environment, reflecting a shift toward integrated, decentralised energy models and infrastructure‑led development.

Through his role on the Energise Landscape Advisory Board, Ewen contributes to wider industry thinking on how the structural barriers to delivery—land fragmentation, consenting complexity, grid access and commercial alignment—can be addressed. His focus is on enabling a more integrated approach between land, infrastructure and capital to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and sustainable development at scale.

 Colin has over 30 years’ experience in advising, structuring and arranging project finance - both as debt provider and equity investor. Colin started his career in Sumitomo Bank as a project finance lender before moving on to take a leading role in project finance in institutions such as PwC, Shell, and latterly Siemens Bank. He joined the UK Infrastructure Bank (now the National Wealth Fund, NWF) from Siemens Bank in the spring of 2023.

Colin’s experience encompasses all aspects of green and brownfield project finance across renewables, energy transmission and storage, transportation, social infrastructure, ports, airports and conventional energy. At the NWF Colin is currently particularly responsible for our activities in the wind, ports, heat networks and nuclear sectors.

 David Weatherall has worked on the policy issues around energy and decarbonisation in homes for over 20 years. At BRE, he coordinates the organisation’s input to UK government across multiple policy areas relevant to the built environment. Prior to BRE, he led strategy and policy analysis projects for public bodies and major organisations as a consultant, and, before that, was Head of Policy at the Energy Saving Trust. David has particularly championed action to ensure the benefits of the energy transition are delivered in harder-to-reach buildings like blocks of flats and SME premises; this has included work as a Knowledge Exchange Fellow at Oxford University Law Faculty on the property law aspects of this challenge. 

 The Lord Bird MBE is a social entrepreneur, author and Crossbench peer, and the founder of The Big Issue.

John Bird was born in 1946 in a Notting Hill slum, the third of six sons in a poor London Irish family. He was homeless at five, lived in an orphanage between the ages of seven and ten, and was frequently excluded from school. He learned to read and write in prison. After art school he set up a printing and publishing business in London, which he ran for two decades, before co-founding The Big Issue with Gordon Roddick in 1991.

The Big Issue is a weekly magazine sold by vendors who are homeless or vulnerably housed, who buy each copy and keep the difference. It has sold more than 200 million copies and is the world's most widely circulated street paper. Lord Bird sits on the board of The Big Issue Group, a certified B Corp whose businesses include Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm he co-founded in 2005.

He was appointed MBE in 1995 for services to homeless people, named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008, and received the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. In 2015 he became a non-party-political "people's peer" and has sat as a Crossbencher ever since. His parliamentary agenda centres on poverty prevention. He has introduced bills for a Ministry for Poverty Prevention and for the wellbeing of future generations, his Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill became law in 2023, and he has pressed for legally binding child poverty targets.

The cost of living has been part of that argument. He was vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency in 2018 and 2019, and in October 2021 he led a Lords debate on rising fuel prices and housing. In winter 2022 he warned that nearly seven million people were in fuel poverty, while The Big Issue reported a sevenfold rise in vendors needing urgent help with fuel and food.

His books include the autobiography Some Luck and The Necessity of Poverty.