Countdown to 2020
Countdown to 2020
Date: Monday 16th February 2015
Venue: St Paul’s and St George’s Church, Edinburgh
Background to Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group
In December 2009, the week before the Copenhagen climate change summit a group of senior business leaders and individuals from across a broad range of sectors and disciplines met in Falkirk to agree to collaborate to combat climate change. The 2020 Climate Group was initiated by Ian Marchant, Chief Executive of SSE (at the time) with support from the Scottish Government and comprises of some of Scotland’s most influential leaders in their fields. Collaboration is seen as key to combating some of the deeper problems that underlie the transition to a low carbon economy and to influence the change in behaviours that will be required.
The 2020 Group works closely with the Scottish Government and has agreed a purposeful remit which is aimed primarily at promoting the benefits and maximising the opportunities that will arise in the transition to a low carbon future but also to challenge some of the key issues that get in the way. The 2020 Group seeks to align its actions and priority activities with the Scottish Government’s Report on Proposals and Policies. Each year, the Group aims to increase its efforts to help Scotland reach its climate change targets.
Purpose of the Lecture Series
The lecture series began in January 2013 and is designed to support the 2020 Climate Group’s aims to bring together business, voluntary, academic and public sectors to share information and work towards a low carbon Scotland. The lectures provide an opportunity for key peoples to speak about some of the big issues around energy, climate change and sustainability as well as promote the exceptional work being don’t in Scotland.
To date, three lectures have been held focusing on the challenges and opportunities of cleantech and new energy, the implications of weather and social responsibility.
Biographies
Ian Marchant is Chair of the 2020 Climate Group and was appointed Chief Executive of SSE in October 2002, stepping down from this role in June 2013. Previously he worked for Coopers & Lybrand (now PWC), including a two-year secondment to the Department of Energy working on electricity privatisation. Ian is a past Chairman of the United Kingdom Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Climate Change Business Delivery Group. Ian is a non-Executive Director of Maggie’s Cancer Centres and was made a non-Executive Director of John Wood Group PLC in 2006. He was appointed President of the Energy Institute in June 2013.
Ian Abbott Donnelly is a Member of IBM Academy of Technology. He has led the European Smarter City Innovation for Software Group and has been the CTO for IBM Big Green Innovations. He specialises in pushing the boundaries of IBM making practical use of the ideas underpinning Smarter Planet, Smarter Cities, Smarter Energy and Smarter Water. Using the tools of information science his aim is to drive improvement in resilience and sustainability. Prior to IBM he was Head of Technology for English Nature. At English Nature he used information and systems to enable good stewardship and regulation for over 4000 special protected sites for nature conservation across England (~8% of the land area of England). He constantly aims to combine the disciplines of: data, technology, innovation, process change and ‘learning from natural systems’; to help make sense of the world and create useful insight for industry, utilities and cities so they can respond to today’s big challenges.
Louise Macdonald is Chief Executive of Young Scot and Vice Chair of Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group. She began her professional career as a journalist with local and national media in Scotland and the UK, before embarking on a career in communications with young people in the statutory and voluntary sector. A participant on the groundbreaking WWF Scotland leadership and sustainability project Natural Change, she is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations; a Board member of SCRA (Scottish Children’s Report Administration), as well as the new UK Money Advice Service and ACOSVO (Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations).
Elizabeth Dirth is the Vice Chair of the 2050 Climate Group and currently works for Keep Scotland Beautiful as the Sustainable Development Officer specializing in Communications and Knowledge Exchange for the Sustainable Scotland Network. Prior to this Elizabeth coordinated a Climate Challenge Fund behavior change project at University of the West of Scotland. She has also gained insight into the digital world in other previous projects such as working as a freelance communications consultant, researching for a digital mapping project for Toynbee Hall in London and running the Marketing strategy and development for a small fashion start-up. Specific areas of interest include digital communications generally, including graphic design, content management, web development, social media, communications strategy development etc, as well a niche areas like e-learning, infographics, citizen journalism and mapping. Elizabeth is also particularly interested in the journey of climate change and sustainability communications in recent years and its relationship with public engagement, behaviour and values.
Hannah Rudman is a highly experienced business transformation and change management consultant, specialising in the transformational challenges and opportunities businesses face because of digital disruption. She is internationally renowned within the Creative Industries sector for the creation of a successful transformation management methodology, The AmbITion Approach. Founder of Rudman Consulting Ltd, transformational change has been created with over mission-driven enterprises 150 businesses through The AmbITion Approach. National transformational change and digital development programmes, attracting £3.7m funding so far, have been designed and delivered around Hannah’s approach, designed and delivered by Rudman Consulting and partners. Hannah advises governments on policy around digital disruption and how to empower sectors to change and transform. She speaks on these topics internationally, recently making keynote addresses at national conferences in Mexico and Australia. She also runs a series of entrepreneurial projects branded Envirodigital: digital developments to help enterprises be more environmentally, ecologically, & socially sustainable. Envirodigital projects include: currently developing CO2 Savings Accounts middleware; co-producing the National Theatre Scotland’s award-winning virtual live theatre project, Five Minute Theatre; pioneering the use of webcasting to produce cultural and educational events with lower carbon emissions; and advising the National Theatre Wales as they set-up as a virtual organisation.
Mike Neilson is Digital Director for the Scottish Government, working to ensure Scotland benefits fully from the opportunities of the digital revolution. He is responsible for a major programme of broadband infrastructure investment, for developing digital public services and for Scottish Government work on participation and on the digital economy. Mike is a lifelong public servant, having worked for the UK Treasury, the UK Permanent Representation in Brussels and for the European Commission before moving to the Scottish Government. He has worked on a wide range of public policy issues from financial regulation to environmental policy. He has particular experience of public sector structural reform, particularly in the water, housing and marine sectors.
James Mucklow is part of PA Management Consultancy Group. James helps clients deliver value from complex large scale programmes. Over the last 16 years he has focused on the health sector and systems to improve patient care. He has experience from a range of sectors including health, finance, transport, energy, and government. This has been consolidated across all stages of the life – cycle from business concept to system implementation. James’ key strengths are a deep understanding of technology, combined with a strong focus on delivery. Relevant experience includes delivery of the NIHR IS Systems Cloud Migration Programme, NHS England’s Integrated Intelligence Tool, Summary Care Record delivery of assurance and large scale programs. James sponsors the IT Architecture service within the IT Delivery practice. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society.
Scotland Lights Up Malawi and Showcase Companies
Scotland Lights Up Malawi
Scotland Lights Up Malawi has the ultimate goal and vision of this project is to contribute to the eradication of kerosene lamps, batteries and candles in Malawi by 2020. It aims to address three key areas:
The campaign will last for 20 months and 20 days and will seek to raise £2020k from all aspects of Scottish society including, the public sector, private businesses and individuals. Contributions can be made via our website www.2020climategroup.org.uk/2020malawi or by: TEXT to donate for example: SCOT20 £(amount) to 70070.
Codbod Ltd
Codbod is a software and services company that is taking geography into business. It is applying rigour, discipline and technology from the geographic information industry and applying it to the measurement of business performance and associated reporting. Its software takes data from ground based and airborne sensors, meters, automated monitors, mobile devices or spreadsheets and turns it into useful maps, reports and intelligence. Codbod’s keystone expertise is environmental data and performance. Its customers share a need to manage and monitor data on air emissions, solid waste, water resources, effluent, raw materials efficiency, energy, biodiversity, noise, odour and other environmental metrics. This is then used for corporate environmental management, environmental monitoring and responding to environmental incidents and emergencies. This need is driven by regulation, internal targets and systems and the disclosure demands of stakeholders such as customers and local communities. http://www.codbodtech.com/
Linknode
Linknode provide mobile 3D visualisation apps and services with specialism in the convergence of location, sensors, devices and model data for geospatial augmented reality (AR) - GIality. It delivers products and consultancy solutions from our own in-house team for all stages of application and project lifecycle from inception to delivery and support across business domains and on the desktop, mobile device or via the cloud. The products and services address needs in planning for public participation and VIA, renewables for landscape visualisation and design, culture, heritage and museum professionals, custodians and curators who want to share 3D exhibits and artefacts in engaging experiences, and designers, modellers and retailers who want an interactive mobile demonstration platform for their data. http://www.linknode.co.uk/
Envirodigital
Envirodigital is a lighthouse brand, guiding business in a sustainable direction. We create digital technology developments to help enterprises be more environmentally, ecologically, & socially sustainable. We seek to encourage the combination of digital technology and creative innovation to help businesses reduce their own, and their customers’ energy and natural resource consumption and pollutant emissions.
Envirodigital helps organisations to build sustainable resilience by creating software apps and working with you through consultancy. http://www.envirodigital.com/
IBI Group
IBI Group is a globally integrated architecture, planning, engineering, and technology firm. From high-rises to industrial buildings, schools to state-of-the-art hospitals, transit stations to highways, airports to toll systems, bike lanes to parks, we design every aspect of a truly integrated city for people to live, work, and play. We organize our expertise into three sectors:
Intelligence: systems design and software development.
Buildings: building architecture, interior design, building engineering (mechanical, structural, electrical).
Infrastructure: planning, urban design, landscape architecture, transportation, and civil engineering.
Its collaborative and combined approach focuses not only on creating the best solutions today, but also creating the right solutions for tomorrow.
It believes cities must be designed with intelligent systems, sustainable buildings, efficient infrastructure, and a human touch. http://www.ibigroup.com/
Eco Wand
Eco Wand is a new tool for energy saving. It measures the temperature and humidity and the eco-wand software on the PC advises on the most economic comfortable ideal temperature taking into account clothing and airflow. It shows the gap to the ideal and the steps to take to save money and save energy without becoming uncomfortable. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alex.gardiner/eco-wand/index.html
ColourElements
Celebrated fashion designer Vivienne Westwood urges shoppers to “Buy less, choose well.”
Colour Elements endorses this message and gives customers a valuable tool to purchase wisely through colour. The Colour Elements app enables customers to have the colours of clothes that make them look good at their fingertips. Customers who buy clothes that compliment them want to wear those garments frequently, reducing the waste of producing clothes which lie unworn in wardrobes (currently at least one third of the contents of every British wardrobe).
The aim of this digital device is simple – reduce waste through buying less – but it also celebrates the joy of buying clothes that make us look good, increasing our confidence in choosing and our pleasure of wearing clothes.