Ossian Smyth TD
Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy
Ossian Smyth TD is Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy and Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. He was appointed to this role in July 2020. He has been a TD for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2020 general election. Following the 2014 Irish local elections, Smyth was elected to Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council for the Dún Laoghaire local electoral area. He served as Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council from 2018 to 2019. Smyth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin.
Florika Fink-Hooijer
Director General of DG Environment at the European Commission
Florika Fink-Hooijer is the current Director General of DG Environment at the European Commission. She took up her position in September 2020 and was previously the Director General of DG Interpretation (SCIC) between 2016 and 2020. Prior to this Florika was Director for Strategy, Policy and International Cooperation at DG Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) for four years. She is responsible for implementing the European Green Deal focusing on circular economy, biodiversity and zero pollution.
Antoine Oger
Head of Programme on Global Challenges and SDGs Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP)
Antoine Oger is Head of Programme on Global Challenges and SDGs at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP). His current research work focuses on the greening of the EU’s trade policy and the coherence of the EU’s internal and external policies related to trade, climate and sustainable development, including on the topic of critical raw materials. He previously worked for over 10 years on the provision of trade-related technical assistance to developing countries, working extensively with DG INTPA and EU Delegations on the delivery of the EU cooperation policy. His recent publications include the “Trade for an inclusive circular economy: A framework for collective action” developed with the Chatham House or an IEEP policy report on “Enhancing sustainability in EU Free Trade Agreements: The case for a holistic approach”. Antoine holds a MA in European Politics with a specialisation on the EU trade policy from the Institute of Political Studies of Rennes in France.
Laura Curtis-Moss
Director, 2050 Climate Group Scotland
Laura Curtis-Moss is the Director of 2050 Climate Group, an organisation working to empower Scotland’s young leaders to lead action on tackling our climate crisis and committed to building a fairer, more sustainable future. Laura's background is in environmental and outdoor education – working with schools, developing continuing education for teachers as well as community engagement. Despite originally studying fine art Laura has had a varied career – from tagging hen harriers to teaching snorkelling via volunteering with sloths and turtles in Costa Rica and even a stint with the Edinburgh Remakery! Previously she has worked for the RSPB and more recently managed a peatland restoration project in East Ayrshire – surveying peatland sites and monitoring the local wildlife. In her spare time she enjoys scuba diving, walking and camping with her partner and two dogs as well as volunteering with British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
Anthony Costello
Chair, Lancet Countdown for Climate and Health Action
After serving as Director of the Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, WHO Geneva, Anthony Costello returned to University College London in June 2018 as Professor of Global Health and Sustainable Development. Trained in paediatrics, he led the first Lancet Commission on Climate and Health published in 2009 with the strapline "Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century". In 2015 he conceived and set up the international Lancet Countdown for Climate and Health Action of which he is chair. The Countdown publishes an annual Lancet report that monitors 44 indicators of climate and health progress and involves over sixty institutes and universities around the world. He is also founder and senior adviser to the Children in All Policies 2030 programme supported by WHO, UNICEF and the Lancet. He was a also co-founder of Independent SAGE which aims to bring a greater focus on public health, transparency and public engagement to the UK Covid response.
Anja Murray
Ecologist
Anja Murray is an ecologist, an environmental policy analyst and a broadcaster, familiar to many as a presenter on ‘Eco Eye’ on RTÉ 1 for the past 8 years – as well as her weekly ‘Nature File’ each Saturday morning on RTÉ lyric fm. Anja writes a weekly column ‘natural solutions’ for The Examiner newspaper and makes radio documentaries about Ireland’s natural environment – most recently ‘Root & Branch’ a series about Irelands native trees, on the Lyric Feature. Her first book, WILD EMBRACE -Connecting to the Wonder of Ireland’s Natural World- published by Hachette Ireland, has been received with critical acclaim and remained in the bestseller rankings since its publication in March 2023.
Niall Ó Donnchú
Director General, National Parks and Wildlife Service
Niall Ó Donnchú, MPhil, BSc (Econ), C(Dip) AF, is Director General of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. He is head of the Heritage Division of the Department and has responsibility for policy on built and natural heritage. He was formerly Head of Arts, Culture and Film Policy at the Department of Arts and Heritage. Prior to that he was Head of E-Commerce and Broadband Policy at the Department of Communications and is also a former Head of Alternative and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. Niall is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast , the London School of Economics and the Harvard University/IPA Adaptive Leadership Programme.
Mike Savage
Green Infrastructure Project Development Officer, Derry City and Strabane District Council
Mike Savage has a BSc in Ecology and a MSc in Countryside Management. He has been involved in greenspace management for over 40 years, including working as Mersey Valley Chief Warden and Operations Manager for Red Rose Forest. As Green Infrastructure Project Development Officer with Derry City and Strabane District Council he is responsible for the development and delivery of a range of GI projects including greenways, invasive species management and GI masterplans. He also leads on GIS for the GI Team.
Brian Carroll
Assistant Secretary General, Climate Action and Environment, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Brian Carroll is the Assistant Secretary General leading the Climate Action and Environment function at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. He is responsible for national, EU and international environment policy, including in the areas of climate action, air quality, radiation and environmental awareness, as well as oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency. Brian joined the Department in 2008, and within the Department has worked previously as Assistant Secretary General for Natural Resources, Head of Decarbonisation and Head of Finance, Strategy and Corporate Affairs. He has wide experience across the public service, having also worked in the Departments of Finance, Foreign Affairs and Justice.
Claire Downey
Policy and Research Director, The Rediscovery Centre
Claire Downey is Policy and Research Director at The Rediscovery Centre. In this role since 2021, she is responsible for leading the research team on providing an evidence base for policy development and supporting circular living models within Ireland and internationally. With a background in Chemical Engineering, and over 20 years of experience in the sector, she has delivered multiple circular economy research projects and sits on the National Waste Advisory Group, the National Textiles Advisory Group, is a fellow with the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, and a board member of Green Foundation Ireland.
Oisín Coghlan
Chief Executive, Friends of the Earth Ireland
Oisín Coghlan has been Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth Ireland since 2005.Oisín co-founded the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition in 2007 and the Environmental Pillar of social partnership in 2009, and led the 14-year campaign for a climate law which culminated in the passing of the Climate Action Act 2021. He leads Friends of the Earth's work to ensure that legal framework is translated into the transformative action required to eliminate Ireland's polluting emissions. Oisín sits on the Board of the Irish Environmental Network, and the steering committees of Stop Climate Chaos, the Environmental Pillar and Coalition 2030, the Irish civil society coalition championing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Stephen Onakuse
Senior Lecturer, University College Cork
Dr Stephen Onakuse is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Business & Development, Cork University Business School (CUBS), university College Cork and the President of the European Alliance on Agriculture knowledge for Development (AGRINATURA). Stephen is an agriculturist and much of research investigate agricultural systems, value chain analysis for development and sustainable production practices. Dr Onakuse is the Principal Investigator on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) project focussing on sustainable production and consumption and the UCC PI on a European Union DeSIRA funded project on Climate Smart Agriculture Research and Innovation Support for Dairy Value Chains in Eritrea.
Kevin O’Sullivan
Environment and Science Editor, The Irish Times
Kevin O’Sullivan is Environment and Science Editor and lead journalist reporting on climate change with The Irish Times. He served as Editor of the paper from 2011 to 2017. He joined The Irish Times in 1997 as Environmental and Food Science Correspondent. In his current role, he has a particular interest in climate solutions (especially nature-based actions); sustainability (including the pursuit of the UN SDGs), renewable energy and restoring biodiversity.
Susan Hegarty
Associate Professor, DCU School of History and Geography
Susan Hegarty is a geographer at DCU. She began her interests in water while working on the Groundwater Protection Scheme for Kilkenny in the Geological Survey of Ireland, mapping the Quaternary deposits – one of the keys to determining the vulnerability of groundwater to pollutants. Her current research at DCU Water Institute focuses on the role of citizen science for monitoring of water quality in Ireland. Her interest in Irish landscape evolution since the last glaciation has led her to carry out research on the changing climate in Ireland over the Holocene, particularly with reference to the southeast of Ireland. She is passionate about communicating environmental issues to a wider audience, and has been involved in various TV documentaries over the past decade. She is currently Head of the DCU School of History and Geography.
Hendrik W van der Kamp
Planning Consultant
Hendrik W van der Kamp, is the former Head of the planning school in Technological University Dublin. He is past-president of the Irish Planning Institute and honorary-president and currently secretary-general of the European Council of Spatial Planners. In recent years he organised and delivered a nationwide Climate Action Training Programme for planners and advised the Environmental Protection Agency on international best practice examples of national land use policy. He has been consulted by the Government on a number of occasions on planning matters and was member of advisory groups of both the National Spatial Strategy and the National Planning Framework. He is currently planning consultant with RW Nowlan & Associates and programme chair of a BSc in Urban Planning programme in the Gengdan Institute of the Beijing University of Technology in China.
Philip Nugent
Assistant Secretary, Department of the Environment Climate and Communications
Philip Nugent is the Assistant Secretary leading the Circular Economy, Natural Resources and Waste Policy function in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. He has responsibility for leading a cross-Government approach to the circular economy, as well as geoscience policy and regulation (minerals, mining and petroleum), the Geological Survey, inland fisheries, and waste and resource efficiency. Philip joined the Department in 2019 from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government where he served in a range of roles across marine and terrestrial planning and housing.
Adrian Smyth
Development Officer - Biodiversity, National Federation of Group Water Schemes
Adrian Smyth comes from an Offaly farming background in beef and sheep rearing. He is a graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology with an Honours Degree in Agricultural Science. The focus of his final year project was on water quality and in creating a design for a low-cost sensor to detect phosphate in water. In June 2017 Adrian was recruited as a development officer by the National Federation of Group Water Schemes. In this role, he was assigned responsibility for servicing the needs of community-owned drinking water supplies across most of Munster. In addition to this, Adrian is also heading up implementing biodiversity enhancement measures on GWS as part of the Federations’ Biodiversity and Climate Action project. He can be contacted by emailing adrian@nfgws.ie
Ainhoa Gonzalez Del Campo
Associate Professor in the School of Geography, University College Dublin
Dr Ainhoa González is an Associate Professor in the School of Geography, University College Dublin. She has over 20 years of international experience as an environmental planner, and as a researcher and educator in sustainability, impact assessment, environmental management and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She has led and collaborated in many international and national multi-disciplinary research projects, involving private and public sector practitioners. Recent research focuses on developing and applying geospatial analysis tools and methods for assessing environmental change and impacts, to better inform planning and decision-making. She has developed the Environmental Sensitivity Mapping (ESM) web tool and the Local Area Renewable Energy Strategies (LARES) web tool, both in collaboration with the All-Island Observatory. She is currently leading the development of a web tool for cumulative effects assessment in the marine environment in collaboration with the Marine Institute. She has developed several good practice guidance manuals on Strategic Environmental Assessment effectiveness, spatial analysis, alternatives, monitoring and public participation for the Environmental Protection Agency. She is a board member of the Spanish Association for Impact Assessment and she will be co-chairing the International Association for Impact Assessment conference in Dublin in 2024.
Geoff Dooley
Head of Sustainability Services, Antaris Consulting
Geoff Dooley is Head of Sustainability Services at Antaris Consulting. Geoff supports organisations to align with the rapidly evolving ESG context while integrating stakeholder needs and expectations. With a track record of working in complex and ambiguous environments, Geoff combines his experience and intuition to help leaders and their organisations navigate a sustainable path forward. Most recently, he facilitated the development of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Impacts and Adaptation Strategy and he is the 2023/24 chair of the Sustainable Development Goals National Stakeholder Forum. Geoff holds a primary degree in Environmental Science, an MBA, an MSc in Finance, a Level 9 Diploma in Executive Coaching, and a Diploma in Company Direction. He is a Nuffield Scholar and a member of the Institute of Directors.
Clare Pillman
Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales
Clare Pillman is Chief Executive at Natural Resources Wales. Clare returned to Wales to join Natural Resources Wales as its Chief Executive in February 2018. Prior to this Clare was Director of Culture, Tourism and Sport at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. In this role she led the work on the Cultural Olympiad and developed new strategies for Sport, Tourism and Culture. She oversaw the delivery of events such as the Rugby World Cup and World Athletics Championships, developed and led the programme to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War and created new models of governance and financing for organisations such as Historic England, English Heritage, the Royal Parks and Visit Britain. From 2004 to 2011, Clare ran the Courts Service in Wales. During this time she chaired the North Wales Local Criminal Justice Board, led the campaign for a prison in North Wales and led Her Majesty’s Court Service Wales to become the first Wales-wide body to receive the Chartermark award for Customer Service. Clare is currently a Board Member of Wales National Opera and prior to this was a Trustee of the Institute of Cancer Research in London for 10 years.
David Greenfield
Vice President, Circular Economy Institute
David Greenfield is Vice President at Circular Economy Institute and is responsible for External Affairs. He is a recognised circular economy expert, having been involved in resource and waste management policy making at local, regional and government levels in his early career, to developing circular economy businesses such as SOENECS and Tech-Takeback, that demonstrate the possibilities of circularity in the last decade. Taking circularity to the next level and recognising that innovation in circularity is essential to adapting and mitigating climate change and environmental pollution, in September 2022, David co-founded etsaW Ventures, a venture studio that accelerates circular material and waste innovation into game changing impact. David has been a volunteer for the CEC and CEI for six years and has run over 50 face to face networking events and spoken at over 25 international events for CEC and CEI. In September 2021, David was appointed as Professor of Circular Economy at the University of Brighton to lecture and work with academics to incorporate circular economy into the curriculum. In June 2023, David was elected by the membership to be Junior Vice-President of the CIWM, this is a four-year appointment and will culminate in David becoming President in 2025.
Danielle Conaghan
Partner and Head of the Environment and Planning Group, Arthur Cox
Danielle Conaghan is Head of the Arthur Cox Environment and Planning Group, and is a founder member of the firm’s Food and Drink Group. Danielle is noted as a skilled strategist, and is acknowledged as a ‘leading individual’ with almost 15 years’ experience in the environment and planning sphere (Legal 500, EMEA). She takes a pragmatic approach to making all types of infrastructure projects happen and constantly looks to find ways to reduce the risk of successful challenges to projects by objectors. She is especially interested in complex projects; and advises on wind, biomass, battery storage, flood relief, data centre, water, wastewater, telecommunications, SHD and offshore projects. She has a deep understanding of how best to defend multiple sets of civil and criminal proceedings taken against projects during the planning, construction and operational phases. She helps clients defend criminal proceedings, particularly in the waste and food and drink sectors. She specialises in European environmental law.
Mike Savage
Green Infrastructure Project Development Officer, Derry City and Strabane District Council
Mike Savage has a BSc in Ecology and a MSc in Countryside Management. He has been involved in greenspace management for over 40 years, including working as Mersey Valley Chief Warden and Operations Manager for Red Rose Forest. As Green Infrastructure Project Development Officer with Derry City and Strabane District Council he is responsible for the development and delivery of a range of GI projects including greenways, invasive species management and GI masterplans. He also leads on GIS for the GI Team.
Peter McEvoy
Director of Land Management, Ulster Wildlife
Peter McEvoy is Director of Land Management at Ulster Wildlife where he is responsible for management of Nature Reserves, Agri-environment Group Scheme delivery and advocacy and liaison on land use and agriculture. He is a plant ecologist by background with a PhD exploring impact of large herbivores on woodland and silvopastoral landscapes and has worked on land management, agriculture policy and agri-environment for over 20 years. Prior to working for Ulster Wildlife he worked in the Isle of Man for over a decade, firstly as Senior Biodiversity Officer and latterly as Director of Agriculture for the Isle of Man Government. These contrasting roles and the position of the Isle of Man as a self-governing Crown Dependency, outside of the EU and the UK, provided an unique opportunity to explore the impact and delivery of policy measures on food, farming and biodiversity.
Triona McGrath
Research and Policy Lead, An Fóram Uisce – The Water Forum
Dr. Triona McGrath is the Research and Policy Lead with the National Water Forum (An Fóram Uisce), who are the statutory body established to facilitate stakeholder input to water policy development in Ireland. One of her key roles is to commission and manage research projects to support the Forum to formulate statutory policy advice to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Water Policy Advisory Committee, Uisce Éireann and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Triona leads the development of policy positions and submissions on behalf of the Water Forum on all water related topics, including water conservation, the protection and restoration of Ireland's water bodies and the delivery of water and wastewater services. Prior to joining the Water Forum, Triona's research focused on ocean climate change, completing a PhD and numerous post doctorate projects with the Marine Institute and the University of Galway, assessing carbon and nutrient dynamics in coastal and offshore marine waters of the North Atlantic. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2013 to develop skills in marine carbon chemistry at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego.
J Owen Lewis
Co-Chair, IIEA Working Group on Climate and Energy
J Owen Lewis chairs the IIEA Working Group on Climate and Energy. He is also Emeritus Professor of Architectural Science, UCD Dublin. He is former President of the Royal Dublin Society, and a former member of the Board of the National Gallery of Ireland. Owen was previously Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) between 2009 and 2012.Qualified as architect, engineer, and energy technologist, he has practised professionally in Ireland, England and Zambia. He was part-time Executive Director for Innovation and R&D at Bord na Móna between 2006 and 2008.Owen was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at UCD Dublin and later Principal of the UCD College of Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. In 1976 Owen co-founded the Solar Energy Society of Ireland.
Gavin Smith
Scientific Officer in Earth Observation and Spatial Analysis, Environmental Protection Agency
Gavin Smith works with the Environmental Protection Agency as a Scientific Officer within the Evidence Programme’s Analytics Team, working with the EPA for 20 years. Gavin specialises in managing the development of new environmental evidence using earth observation and spatial analysis technology. He is the national lead on the European Environment Agency’s “Land Systems” and “Copernicus Land” groups within their EIONET network. Gavin was EPA project co-ordinator for the recently delivered National Land Cover Map, developed in partnership with Tailte Éireann, which his conference presentation will be on.
Imelda Hurley
Coillte CEO
Imelda Hurley is CEO of Coillte. Imelda Hurley joined Coillte in 2019 and was appointed to the board in January 2022. She has extensive executive and non-executive experience in public company, state owned, private equity and venture capital backed businesses. She has built that experience in multiple geographies including Ireland, UK, Eastern Europe, and Asia, and across a variety of sectors including forestry, agriculture, food, technology related product development and supply chain management. Prior to joining Coillte, Imelda was an executive director and CFO with agri-services group Origin Enterprises plc and, earlier in her career, she held a range of senior leadership positions at PCH International and Greencore Group plc. She has previously served as a non-executive director of Total Produce plc, Valeo Foods and Ervia. Imelda is currently president of Ibec, Ireland’s largest business representative group, and a non-executive director at the world’s leading fresh produce provider, Dole plc. She is also a patron of Chapter Zero Ireland, a community of non-executive directors that lead Irish boardroom discussions on the impacts of climate change. Imelda is a graduate of University of Limerick, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and an alumna of Harvard Business School.
Lucy Gaffney
Platform Development Lead, Business for Biodiversity Ireland
Lucy is a bio-scientist and entrepreneur and has been working within the life sciences sector since 2005. In November 2021, she teamed up with Natural Capital Ireland to lead the development of a national business and biodiversity platform, Business for Biodiversity Ireland, an initiative funded by the Irish Government. The platform aims to help businesses develop meaningful biodiversity strategies and ultimately help Ireland transition to a nature-positive way of working. In January, Lucy was named as one of the Irish Times 50 People to Watch in 2023 for her ongoing work in the business and biodiversity space.
Dr Venkatesh Kannan
Technical Manager, Irish Centre of HighEnd Computing
Dr Venkatesh Kannan is Technical Manager at the Irish Centre of HighEnd Computing (ICHEC). He oversees ICHEC’s technical vision, strategy and roadmap and manages a team of over 30 computational scientists across offices in Dublin and Galway. ICHEC is the national highperformance computing (HPC) centre established by the Government of Ireland in 2005 and hosted in NUI Galway to support the use of HPC and advance its application for academic research, the public sector and commercial activity. ICHEC’s Environmental and Climate Science activities include, Regional Climate Projections for Ireland and Europe, Earth Observation (EO) expertise, Enabling AI in EO applications, EO Data Archive and Access and Renewable Energy Modelling.
Kevin Hegarty
Director of Green Growth and Climate Action, DAERA
Kevin Hegarty is the Director of Green Growth and Climate Action within DAERA leading the development of the NI Executive’s first Climate Action Plan. Prior to this Kevin led on the Executive’s Green Growth Strategy. Kevin joined the team early in 2021 from the Strategic Investment Board where he was Head of the Energy Management Unit and a Strategic Adviser on Energy to the NI Civil Service. Prior to that he was Acquisitions, Development and Policy Manager for ESB. Kevin has held senior roles with Airtricity as Head of Onshore Development and with E-ON North America as Chief Development Officer. Kevin has over 25 years’ experience working in the public, private and utility sectors and has spent his entire career addressing the climate challenge. Kevin holds a BSc in Environmental Planning from Queen’s University Belfast and an MSc in Rural Development also from QUB.
Eimear Cotter
Director of the Office of Evidence and Assessment, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Eimear Cotter was appointed in 2017 as Director of the EPA initially with responsibility for the Office of Environmental Sustainability. She is currently Director of the Office of Evidence and Assessment. Eimear has a wide range of experience in environmental protection, climate change, sustainable energy and sustainability. Eimear holds a BA (Mod) in chemistry from Trinity College Dublin, a PhD in atmospheric chemistry from Oxford University and an MBA from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. She is a 2019 Eisenhower Fellow.
Aditya Arora
Data and Reporting Team Lead, FoodCloud
Aditya Arora is Data and Reporting Team Lead at FoodCloud, an Irish not-for-profit that uses technology to enable surplus food rescue at scale. FoodCloud partners with leading businesses in the food supply chain, as well as non-profits and food banks across several countries to help rescue surplus food. Aditya is responsible for implementing and maintaining data and reporting systems at FoodCloud, and worked as an analyst on an EPA funded Carbon Balance project.
Patric Child
-Deputy-Director General DG Environment, European Commission
Patrick CHILD is currently Deputy Director-General in DG Environment at the European Commission with particular responsibility for the EU’s zero pollution strategy, chemicals legislation, urban agenda, research and innovation for environment and communication. He is also the Mission manager for the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, which aims to reach 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030. From 2016-2021, he was Deputy Director-General in DG Research and Innovation (R&I) at the European Commission. Until April 2016, Patrick Child was Managing Director of the European External Service with responsibility for administration and finance, covering human resources policy, security and the budget. Before he took up this post in 2011, he was director in the EC External Relations Directorate-General in the responsible for managing the network of Commission delegations. He has previously served as head of cabinet for External Relations Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Chris Patten. With a background in the UK Finance Ministry, he joined the European Commission in 1994, where he started in the Economic and Monetary affairs Directorate General before becoming Commission press spokesman for economic and monetary union from 1995-1999.
Eleanor Roche
Head of Environmental Regulation and Compliance, Uisce Éireann
Eleanor is the Head of Environmental Regulation & Compliance for Uisce Éireann, responsible for driving environmental regulation within the business, overseeing all drinking water and wastewater compliance monitoring nationwide, as well as regulatory reporting activities for the UÉ asset base. Eleanor is a qualified Environmental Scientist with over 20 years experience. She spent the first half of her career working as a consultant successfully delivering a wide range of projects across waste management, environmental management, and communications before joining Irish Water in 2014. She is also a chartered member of CIWM and an Associate member of IEMA.
Andy Bleasdale
Director, Scientific Advice and Research
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Andy Bleasdale heads up the Scientific Advice and Research Directorate of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which is an executive agency of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Andy is an ecologist with a PhD in Botany and he has worked in the Scientific Unit of NPWS since 2000 in a variety of roles
Andrew Muir MLA
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Andrew Muir is an Alliance MLA for North Down who was appointed as Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on 03 February 2024. He previously served as Alliance Party Chief Whip, Finance and Infrastructure Spokesperson and leading party efforts for Restoration and Reform of Assembly and Executive. Aged 47, prior to joining the Northern Ireland Assembly in late 2019 Andrew served for nearly a decade as Councillor including a term as Mayor of North Down 2013/14. Before becoming a MLA Andrew worked for Northern Ireland’s Public Transport provider Translink as a Senior Project Manager overseeing roll out of multi-million pound Future Ticketing System Project. Andrew graduated with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at Ulster University in 1999.
Chris Hewitt
Director of the Climate Services Branch, World Meteorological Organization
Chris Hewitt joined the World Meteorological Organization in 2022 as the Director of the Climate Services Branch, working with organizations around the world to build resilience to climate variability and climate change. Prior to joining the WMO, Chris was employed as Head of International Climate Services at the UK Met Office and Professor of Climate Science at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, and held an Honorary Professor of Climate Services position at the University of Bristol in the UK. Chris has collaborated worldwide to evolve and build the climate services landscape, ensuring pull-through of science to services for societal benefit and guiding scientific developments to be aligned to societal needs. He has been central to developing the UN’s Global Framework for Climate Services, has led several major European climate service projects, and has been co-chair of three WMO Expert Teams with a focus on user engagement for climate services. He began his career as a climate researcher and climate model developer after he obtained his MSc and his PhD in meteorology from the University of Reading.
Francesca Racioppi
Head of the World Health Organization European Centre for Environment and Health
Francesca Racioppi is the Head of the World Health Organization European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany. Francesca has more than 30 years of international experience in environment and health policies and science. Her work experience includes sustainable and healthy transport and urban policies and interventions, the promotion of “health in all policies” approaches, climate change, One Health, health impact assessment, violence and injury prevention, and consumer safety. In 2018 she was awarded a Honorary Doctorate by the Swedish School of Sport and Health Science in Stockholm, Sweden, for her leading engagement in environmental health and active transport.
Danielle Conaghan
Head of the Environment and Planning Group, Arthur Cox
Danielle Conaghan is Head of the Arthur Cox Environment and Planning Group, and is a founder member of the firm’s Food and Drink Group. Danielle is noted as a skilled strategist, and is acknowledged as a ‘leading individual’ with almost 15 years’ experience in the environment and planning sphere (Legal 500, EMEA). She takes a pragmatic approach to making all types of infrastructure projects happen and constantly looks to find ways to reduce the risk of successful challenges to projects by objectors. She is especially interested in complex projects; and advises on wind, biomass, battery storage, flood relief, data centre, water, wastewater, telecommunications, SHD and offshore projects. She has a deep understanding of how best to defend multiple sets of civil and criminal proceedings taken against projects during the planning, construction and operational phases. She helps clients defend criminal proceedings, particularly in the waste and food and drink sectors. She specialises in European environmental law.
Christopher Hammond
Chief Executive, UK100
Christopher Hammond is the Chief Executive for UK100. UK100 is a cross-party membership organisation that supports the most ambitious councils to go further and faster on their Net Zero and Clean Air targets. Since joining in 2021, the network has doubled and launched two new ambitious programmes. The Climate Leadership Academy and Local Power in Action. In 2023, the Membership Team which he created, was shortlisted for ‘Team of the Year’ in the Edie Sustainable Leadership Awards. Previously, Christopher served as the elected Leader of Southampton City Council from 2018-2021. During his tenure as a councillor (2013-2022), he brokered an agreement that led to the country’s first commercial Shore Power facility and devised a Green City Charter subsequently signed by 75 major city organisations. In 2020, he was shortlisted for ‘Leader of the Year’ at the LGIU Councillor Awards. Born and raised in Dagenham in East London, Christopher was the first of his family to graduate from university. Afterwards, he worked as a race equality advocate and governance and risk manager for Nationwide Building Society. In 2018 he established an award-winning restaurant in Southampton. Christopher holds a degree from Bournemouth University, which named him its 2019 Alumni of the Year.
Laura Díaz Anadón
Professor of Climate Change Policy, University of Cambridge
Laura Díaz Anadón is a Professor of Climate Change Policy and Director of the Centre for Environment, Energy & Natural Resource Governance at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). She was recently a visiting scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, Cambridge (USA) and in 2022 she was awarded a Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Tsinghua University (China). Her research sits at the intersection of climate, energy and innovation policy, with a focus on fiscal and regulatory policy, and on accelerating the development and deployment of novel technologies in the energy sector. Laura Díaz Anadón is Lead Author for the WG III contribution to the IPCC AR6 (chapter on Innovation, technology development and transfer). She was also a member of the Economics of Decarbonisation Advisory Group for the Net Zero Review undertaken by the United Kingdom’s Government in 2020/2021. Laura Díaz Anadón holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom).
Claire Downey
Policy and Research Director, The Rediscovery Centre
Claire Downey is Policy and Research Director at The Rediscovery Centre. In this role since 2021, she is responsible for leading the research team on providing an evidence base for policy development and supporting circular living models within Ireland and internationally. With a background in Chemical Engineering, and over 20 years of experience in the sector, she has delivered multiple circular economy research projects and sits on the National Waste Advisory Group, the National Textiles Advisory Group, is a fellow with the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, and a board member of Green Foundation Ireland.
Kevin O’Sullivan
Environment and Science Editor, The Irish Times
Kevin O’Sullivan is Environment and Science Editor and lead journalist reporting on climate change with The Irish Times. He served as Editor of the paper from 2011 to 2017. He joined The Irish Times in 1997 as Environmental and Food Science Correspondent. In his current role, he has a particular interest in climate solutions (especially nature-based actions); sustainability (including the pursuit of the UN SDGs), renewable energy and restoring biodiversity.
Lorna McAdoo
Group Director Environment, Social and Governance, Version 1
Lorna McAdoo is Group Director Environment, Social and Governance at Version 1. Lorna joined Version 1 in 2013 to lead the Northern Ireland (NI) operation; growing the team to over 550 people, and is now responsible for the corporate ESG agenda, driving the organisation on track to meet a net zero target of 2025 within its operations and by 2035 within the supply chain. Lorna has been awarded multiple industry recognitions including Digital DNA Business Personality of the Year and Women in Tech IT Business Leader. She is also Vice Chair of the Software NI.
Conor Murphy
Professor at the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS), Department of Geography, Maynooth University
Conor Murphy is a Professor at the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) in the Department of Geography at Maynooth University. His research interests focus on hydroclimatology, historical climatology and adaptation to climate change. Conor has been awarded over €6 million in funding as PI or Co-I from National and European sources, including SFI, IRC, EPA, Horizon 2020, JPI Climate. His research engages closely with enterprise, public bodies and communities. He has consistently published in top ranking international journals including; Science, Nature, Nature Climate Change, and was a lead author of Volume 3 ‘Being Prepared for Ireland’s Future Climate’ as part of the Irish Climate Change Assessment Report. Conor sits on the National Climate Change Adaptation Committee advising government on responding to the impacts of climate change.
Mark Horton
All-Ireland Director, The Rivers Trust
Mark Horton is the All-Ireland Director of The Rivers Trust, the umbrella body for the rivers trust movement across the UK and Ireland, and Chief Executive of Ballinderry Rivers Trust, a rivers trust dedicated to the conservation and protection of the Ballinderry River in Counties Tyrone and Derry-Londonderry, the western-shore rivers of Lough Neagh and the Lough itself. Mark has been working in catchment management and conservation since 2004. He has helped establish rivers trusts across the island of Ireland as well as leading on river habitat and species restoration programmes. In recognition of his work, in 2019 Mark was awarded an MBE for Services to Conservation.
J Owen Lewis
Chair, IIEA Working Group on Climate and Energy
J Owen Lewis co-chairs the IIEA Working Group on Climate and Energy. He is also Emeritus Professor of Architectural Science, UCD Dublin. He is former President of the Royal Dublin Society, and a former member of the Board of the National Gallery of Ireland. Owen was previously Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) between 2009 and 2012. Qualified as architect, engineer, and energy technologist, he has practised professionally in Ireland, England and Zambia. He was part-time Executive Director for Innovation and R&D at Bord na Móna between 2006 and 2008. Owen was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at UCD Dublin and later Principal of the UCD College of Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. In 1976 Owen co-founded the Solar Energy Society of Ireland.
Niall McLoughlin
Principal Officer, Circular Economy Strategic Policy Division, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Niall McLoughlin is Principal Officer of the Circular Economy Strategic Policy Division at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, where he is responsible for a range of circular economy initiatives, including developing Ireland’s whole of Government Circular Economy Strategies, the Circular Economy Initiative Grants Scheme, Green Public Procurement, supporting the development of a more vibrant reuse and repair eco-system in Ireland and the delivery of a Circular Economy Communications Platform. Prior to his appointment to this role last March, he was the head of the Air Quality, EU, International and SDGs Division in the Department with responsibility for leading Ireland’s delegation at the annual Climate Conferences of the Parties or COPs.
Susan Hegarty
Associate Professor, DCU School of History and Geography
Susan Hegarty is a geographer at DCU. She began her interests in water while working on the Groundwater Protection Scheme for Kilkenny in the Geological Survey of Ireland, mapping the Quaternary deposits – one of the keys to determining the vulnerability of groundwater to pollutants. Her current research at DCU Water Institute focuses on the role of citizen science for monitoring of water quality in Ireland. Her interest in Irish landscape evolution since the last glaciation has led her to carry out research on the changing climate in Ireland over the Holocene, particularly with reference to the southeast of Ireland. She is passionate about communicating environmental issues to a wider audience, and has been involved in various TV documentaries over the past decade. She is currently Institutional Lead for DCU Futures - a project to radically reimagine undergraduate education at DCU.
Zoe Kavanagh
CEO, REPAK
Zoe is a distinguished leader with almost 30 years of experience in domestic & international markets within dairy and FMCG sectors, and joins Repak following 13 years as CEO of the National Dairy Council. Prior to this, she spent 16 years at PepsiCo, working across numerous briefs and gaining significant insights into the FMCG sector, before concluding her tenure as General Manager for Ireland Beverages in 2010. During her tenure as CEO of the National Dairy Council, Zoe demonstrated exceptional leadership, contributing to the council's growth and enhancing its reputation in the industry. Membership of the organisation grew by 33% and income more than doubled while public trust in Irish Dairy production increased significantly due to robust advocacy and strong public engagement.
Niall Ó Donnchú
Director General, National Parks and Wildlife Service
Niall Ó Donnchú, MPhil, BSc (Econ), C(Dip) AF, is Director General of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. He is head of the Heritage Division of the Department and has responsibility for policy on built and natural heritage. He was formerly Head of Arts, Culture and Film Policy at the Department of Arts and Heritage. Prior to that he was Head of E-Commerce and Broadband Policy at the Department of Communications and is also a former Head of Alternative and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. Niall is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast , the London School of Economics and the Harvard University/IPA Adaptive Leadership Programme.
Venkatesh Kannan
Associate Director, The Irish Centre of High-End Computing (ICHEC)
Venkatesh Kannan works as the Associate Director at the Irish Centre of High-End Computing (ICHEC), the national centre for high-performance computing (HPC) and data management in Ireland, whose core mission is to deliver HPC and federated data platforms and services to academic, enterprise and public sector organisations on behalf of the Irish State. At ICHEC, he is responsible for defining and implementing the vision, strategy and roadmap of the Centre’s technological solutions related to HPC and federated data and services. This includes leading the design and development of HPC and data platforms and services through partnerships with national and international organisations in academia, industry and public sector.
David McGee
Advisory Partner and ESG Leader, PwC
David McGee is an advisory partner in PwC Ireland’s consulting team and leads the firm’s ESG practice. With over twenty years of experience in the retail sector, David brings a unique blend of industry knowledge and consulting expertise to his role. His career spans industry positions and consultancy work, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the retail and consumer goods sectors. As a technology specialist, David has been instrumental in helping companies navigate digital transformations and sustainability initiatives. His expertise extends to advising clients on corporate strategy, operational effectiveness and supply chain optimisation. David’s client portfolio includes indigenous firms and multinational corporations, showcasing his ability to address diverse business needs. Before joining PwC in 2008, David held a senior position in a major Irish retail and wholesale company. His leadership of PwC’s ESG practice reflects the firm’s commitment to helping businesses integrate sustainability into their core operations and strategies.
Anna Rose
Principal Consultant, Planning Advisory Service, Local Government Association UK
Rachel Jones is a Principal Consultant at the Local Government Association’s Planning Advisory Service (PAS) specialising in environmental planning and nutrient neutrality. She convenes a network of 74 local planning authorities in England and, through liaising with central government, helps find solutions to the complex and evolving issue of nutrient neutrality. Rachel advises local authorities on how to address the pressures on development management decision-making arising from environmental policy and legislation changes, and also how to plan for a better environment.
Paul Hogan
Acting Assistant Secretary – Head of the Planning Division Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH).
Paul Hogan is Acting Assistant Secretary – Head of the Planning Division at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH). He has more than 30 years’ experience of working in planning and development in Ireland and the UK. Paul’s current responsibilities include reform and resourcing of the planning system, through delivery of the Planning Bill 2023 and revision of the NPF to support the delivery of housing, infrastructure and the national response to climate change. Paul’s previous role at the Department of Housing as Principal Adviser included leading the planning and land elements of Housing for All. Prior to joining the Department in 2015, Paul was a Senior Planner at South Dublin County Council for more than 10 years. He has a Master of Regional and Urban Planning degree from UCD (1992), is a Fellow of the Irish Planning Institute and recently completed a higher diploma in Organisational Change and Transformation.
Chief Executive Officer, National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Liam Lysaght is Chief Executive Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, a state-sponsored company established in 2022 to acquire, collate, manage, validate and make available data on Ireland’s biodiversity. He also serves as Chair of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, an international network of 105 participating nations and international organisations working to make biodiversity data openly available.
Director, Circular Economy, DG Environment, European Commission.
Since May 2022 he is the Director in charge of Circular Economy in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment.
Between January 2014 and April 2022 he worked as the Director in charge of enforcement, cohesion and the European Semester in the same DG. Before that he was the Director for Equality in the Directorate-General for Justice since April 2011, in charge of equality and fight against discrimination, after having been the Director for Fundamental Rights and EU Citizenship within the same DG and in DG Justice, Freedom and Security since June 2009.
He joined the European Commission in 2009. He holds an LL.M. from the University of Illinois (US) and a Ph.D. from the University of Bucharest (RO).
Biodiversity Officer, Galway City Council
Paula Kearney is the Biodiversity Officer with Galway City Council. Paula holds a BSc Ecology and Environmental Science, HDip Planning and Environmental Law and is a Chartered Ecologist. In a professional career which spans over 20 years, she has provided strategic advice and managed multi-disciplinary inputs for Environmental Impact Assessments on a wide-range of projects including wind farms, greenways, roads, water treatment and flood relief schemes. In her current role as Biodiversity Officer, Paula is required to facilitate and co-ordinate the implementation of the Biodiversity Action Plan, with priority given to developing biodiversity awareness and supporting attitude change in the general public, Galway City staff and officials, developers, architects, engineers and landowners. She is also involved in the development of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and assist in the planning process to promote sustainable development.
ecologist
Anja Murray is an ecologist, an environmental policy analyst and a broadcaster, familiar to many as a presenter on ‘Eco Eye’ on RTÉ 1 for the past 8 years – as well as her weekly ‘Nature File’ each Saturday morning on RTÉ lyric fm. Anja writes a weekly column ‘natural solutions’ for The Examiner newspaper and makes radio documentaries about Ireland’s natural environment – most recently ‘Root & Branch’ a series about Irelands native trees, on the Lyric Feature. Her first book, WILD EMBRACE -Connecting to the Wonder of Ireland’s Natural World- published by Hachette Ireland, has been received with critical acclaim and remained in the bestseller rankings since its publication in March 2023.
CEO, Coillte
Imelda Hurley is CEO at Coillte. She has extensive executive and non-executive experience in public company, state owned, private equity and venture capital backed businesses. Since joining Coillte in 2019, Imelda has led the organisation through its most commercially successful period of delivery, while also developing a new vision for its forests and lands. As well as her executive responsibilities, she is a non-executive director at the world’s leading fresh produce provider, Dole plc, and a board member and past President at IBEC.
Deputy Secretary of Environment Marine and Fisheries Group
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland
Julie Thompson has recently been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland. Julie is Head of Environment, Marine and Fisheries Group and has responsibility for Natural Environment Policy, Environmental Resources including waste management, Marine and Fisheries and oversight of the Forest Service Agency. Julie was previously Head of Climate Change, Planning and Public Transport Group in the Department for Infrastructure and has also held senior roles in the Department of Finance and Department of Health.
Assistant Professor in Sustainable Urbanism
University College Dublin
Dr. Aura-Luciana Istrate is Assistant Professor in Sustainable Urbanism and Program Director of the MSc Urban Design and Planning at University College Dublin. She is the Primary Coordinator of C-NEWTRAL Doctoral Network funder under the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie-Actions scheme, advancing new approaches for integrated planning of climate-neutral cities through citizen engagement and city governance decision-making. She is co-leading another Horizon Europe project (REALLOCATE) focusing on rethinking the design of streets and public spaces to leverage climate-friendly active mobility in 10 European Cities.
Senior Advisor, Planning Division
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Alma Walsh is a Senior Advisor in the Planning Division of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, where she has worked since 2016. Prior to joining the Department, Alma has worked within the local authority planning system and began her career with the private sector. Alma is leading on the revision of the National Planning Framework which is a key delivery priority for the Department and is also responsible for the development of a number of related policy measures. She holds a Masters Degree in Regional and Urban Planning from UCD. Alma is a Board Member of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).
Sustainability Adviser
Business in the Community Ireland
Cillian McMahon leads Business in the Community Ireland’s work on nature and biodiversity. He advises members on understanding their relationships with nature and acting to incorporate nature-positivity into their work. He is also a core member of the team that led our Low Carbon Pledge 2018-2024 and its new iteration Accelerate, The Business Pact on Climate and Nature. Cillian is well-connected in European biodiversity circles and is a regular speaker at international conferences and forums; he has sat on several policy forums for the government of Ireland. Cillian has an MSc. in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, awarded through a joint programme involving four European and two North American universities, and a degree from the University of Galway.
Lecturer in Spatial Planning and Development
Ulster University
Dr Gavan Rafferty is a lecturer at the Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment at Ulster University. He is a member of the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), and past-chairperson of the RTPI Northern Ireland Branch (2009-2010). His recent research and teaching interests focus on inclusive engagement and health outcomes associated with planning, development and regeneration processes.