Day 2 – Net Zero: Your Future Workplace
My Net Zero Journey
The stories of inspiration and perspiration. Our speakers will tell you how they got to where they are and what they do. You’ll hear how people changed career, started late, reinvented themselves and how they are all now united by the same goal, making things better.
Sumit Bose
Join our welcome session with Sumit Bose, Founder of future net zero.
Dr Benjamin Silverstone
Capability for sustainability and a greener economy
Delivering skills for sustainability and a greener economy is not just about focusing on "green jobs" There is an entire ecosystem around ensuring that we are able to create a greener economy in a way that is sustainable for communities and delivers equity within society. The University of Warwick, and Coventry Council, are taking the lead in supporting providers, businesses and local authorities to create the environment in which sustainability, in its broadest sense, is embedded within lifelong learning and how this can ensure that inward investment can be attracted through the establishment of a coherent skills ecosystem.
Noel Ferguson
Noel started his working life as a Marine Engineer in the Royal Navy, leading diverse teams to deliver everything from humanitarian assistance in Sierra Leonne to bringing Nuclear submarines out of the water for maintenance. The last 20 years has seen him working with organisations across all sectors to deliver cost and carbon reductions, from global PLCs to single site manufacturing companies and public sector organisations. With an ability to see Net Zero form the point of view of all stakeholders, his focus for the last 4-5 years has been partnering with businesses to make their Net Zero journey simple with a clear pathway to lower emissions.
Jen Johnson
Managing Director (UK), learnd
Kuram Gwakyaa
Harnessing Your Skills And Knowledge To Contribute To A Greener Future
An overview of the ever-evolving skills required to build and develop a career in the sustainability and net zero sphere. Offering career-based insights with a focus on transferability of skills and knowledge into the sector, as well as an outline of the range of sustainability and net zero roles at Mitie.
Aden Johnson
From Professional Sports To Leading Utility Net-Zero Roadmaps
At Boxfish, we believe in doing things differently and swimming against the tide. It’s all in the name.
The Boxfish is an energetic and surprisingly agile creature, known for its impressive efficiency and streamlined movement; its ability to cut through the current with ease.
When you work with us, we’ll streamline your business and make it more efficient—in a way that our competitors simply cannot match.
Simon Alsbury
A Day In The Life Of A Sustainability Consultancy
Join Simon Alsbury for an insightful session exploring the evolving landscape of business from executive to operational levels. Discover what the future holds as he navigates the challenges and opportunities of sustainability. Learn how sustainability-focused companies are empowering customers to become a force for good, shaping a more responsible and impactful business environment.
Pamela Barbato
How Net Zero Inspired My Career... And Could Inspire Yours Too!
Action Net Zero's mission is to empower communities, people and businesses with easy, affordable actions to achieve a healthier and greener world, where carbon emissions are reduced, nature is protected and the climate is no longer in crisis.
Ashley Webber
Charting Your Path To A Net Zero Future
Get ready to be inspired at The Big Zero Show this July at the Coventry Building Society Arena, where Ashley Webber from Balanced Energy will share his journey and excitement in the world of Net Zero careers.
Ashley’s session is specially tailored for students like you, who are curious about the transformative roles in the Net Zero sector. He’ll talk about what it’s like to wake up every day knowing you are making a difference by helping companies tackle their emissions. Discover the passion and opportunities that come with a career dedicated to creating a sustainable future.
Fiona Edwards
Joining The Dots To Achieve Net Zero!
My Net Zero journey started when our largest client called a meeting in 2015 to ask what JPA Workspaces was doing about carbon reduction and sustainability. Encountering a professionally qualified sustainability manager for the first time was a truly terrifying experience in 2015 but we had to respond with a plan - which we did, albeit very simple. We began our sustainability adventure by focusing on environmental and waste issues which we already knew something about through ISO14001, joining the dots gradually as a larger sustainability picture formed. None of our other clients displayed any interest in environmental impact in the meantime but the arrival of Covid accelerated demand and indeed our own progress faster towards Net Zero than we had thought possible which is why I am here today sharing my experiences.
Paula Owen
From Atmospheric Science To Gaming: My Journey To Net Zero
Paula started her net zero journey with a PhD in atmospheric chemistry and her first role was trying to educate an oblivious British public about the dangers of accelerated climate change. Through three decades she has, in one form or another, continued in that vein – education and behaviour change to attempt to persuade people to take action. Around a decade ago, she happened upon the idea of using gamification to help engage people in climate action and that has been her focus ever since through her B Corp certified company, eco action games. In this talk, Paula will explain why she thinks gamification is a useful tool in the Net Zero professional’s armoury and demo her brand new game – the Great British Net Zero Lowdown – with the audience.
Stew Horne
Stew is Head of Policy at Energy Saving Trust. Energy Saving Trust is a trusted, independent voice, with over 25 years’ experience of providing advice and support around home energy efficiency, low carbon transport and renewable energy generation.
Stew has worked in energy policy for over a decade. He previously led Citizens Advice’s energy infrastructure work, winning Charity Times “Campaigning Team of the Year” in 2018 and earlier delivered consumer policy at the energy regulator Ofgem. Before that, he worked in central government across a wide range of consumer policy areas such as digital television switchover and nutritional labelling on food.
My Net Zero Job
Don’t think your skills could be used in the low carbon economy? Think again! Our speakers from a range of companies, sectors and doing a vast array of jobs, will explain how wide the scope is for a career of any kind in our net zero future.
Ola Bankole
A Week In The Life Of A Sustainability Practitioner
The role of a sustainability practitioner goes beyond the technical know-how. This is important…but equally important are the soft skills that needs to accompany this. This can often mean the difference between success and failure of your agenda. This session will show the variety of competencies one needs to possess in order to make a real difference.
Sophie Wragg
Green Skills: What You Need For The Future Net Zero Workplace
If we have any chance of cutting emissions, reaching net zero and stalling climate change every job needs to become a climate job. It cannot just be left to one person or department, it needs to become part of everyone's roles. But how do we upskill our staff to do this and more to the point, how do we effectively engage everyone to embrace net zero?
Peter Starr
Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can: Transitioning To A Green Career
Unlocking a green career starts with mindset. Explore what might be holding you back – whether it's fear of change or uncertainty about your abilities. Next, hone in on your top transferrable skills for the green sector: critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and adaptability are invaluable in sustainability roles. But don't stop there. Learn how to sell your own value effectively: highlight your passion for sustainability, showcase relevant experiences and demonstrate your commitment to making a difference.
Rebecca Howard
Net Zero Into Action
This session is about Coventry Building Society has involved stakeholders in determining ESG priorities, communications and initiatives. It will focus on net zero and greenhouse gas emissions but will also address travel, waste management, diversity & inclusion, social value, community initiatives and supplier payment practices. The presentation will demonstrate how effective inter-organisational collaboration enables acceleration towards a net zero future.
Toby Costar
Knowing Nothing About Energy Can Be A Major Advantage
Toby will discuss how his lack of energy knowledge when entering the industry ended up being a major advantage when shaping brands in a cluttered market place.
Lydia Malley
The EI Academy offers expert-led training courses and free learning resources across a wide-range of topics, for all levels of capability and experience.
Stephen Henry
Set Up Your Sustainability Programme For Success With Insights From Stephen Henry Of Positive Planet
More than 9 out of 10 sustainability programmes fail to achieve their desired goals leading to disengaged employees, business risk and additional cost. Set up your sustainability programme for success with insights from Stephen Henry of Positive Planet.
Dr Bahareh Salehi
Dr Bahareh Salehi is a Chartered Building Physics Engineer/Consultant at Mott MacDonald, a global engineering, management and development consultancy company.
After completing her PhD in this subject and due to her knowledge and experience, she was invited to occupy a few hours a week as an Industry Lecturer at London South Bank University.
In addition to her occupations, she is an active member of the CIBSE Building Simulation Group with the aim of highlighting best practices in using computer simulation codes for building-related applications and a member of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC)’s commercial retrofit task group to gain clarity on the most effective retrofit interventions for common office buildings found in the UK.
Amy Collins
Empowering Sustainability: The Crucial Role Of Supply Chains In Achieving Net Zero
Join Amy as she shares her personal journey from marketing to sustainability-driven leadership. Explore the pivotal role of trade associations and the electrification supply chain in driving the Net Zero agenda forward. Discover the essential skills and opportunities within this vital sector that could pave the way for your own impactful sustainability career.
Ruaire Glackin
Discovering Net Zero Remotely... Yes It’s Possible!
Faced with rising energy costs and demands for more sustainable organisations, more and more organisations were reaching out to Utility Aid for help. The challenge was to provide a service to customers that was both cost effective and informative. Ruaire developed a service for low to medium users of energy that allowed them to take advantage of expert advice without the traditionally high cost of an on site energy audit. “Onsite audit costs can quickly escalate when there are long travel times. Our thoughts were to remove the travel cost and try to conduct the audit remotely, using the latest video technology”. In the initial test phase 10 surveys were conducted, the outcome was positive for all 10 and so we developed the package throughout 2023. In January 2024 we launched version 3 of our audit which now provides all the necessary information organisations need to make good decisions and also the financial information funding providers were asking for. In todays talk we will discuss how the survey works, the benefits to organisations and how the Remote Discovery Document needs to be the start of your Net Zero Journey.