Jeremy Watson CBE FREng is Professor of Engineering Systems at UCL. Until recently he was also Chief Scientist and Engineer at the Building Research Establishment (BRE). A past DLUHC (MHCLG) Chief Scientific Adviser, he has senior industrial experience as BOC (Edwards) plc Technology Director, and Global Research Director at Arup.

Jeremy is a Fellow and Trustee of the Royal Academy of Engineering (and recent past Chair of the National Engineering Policy Committee). His interests include the cross-disciplinary systems challenges of achieving Net Zero, cybersecurity at the ‘Edge’, sustainable engineering, systems thinking, research strategy and innovation processes.

Jeremy is currently Director and PI of the seven-year £24m PETRAS National Centre of Excellence for IoT Systems Cybersecurity funded by EPSRC under the £35m Securing Digital Technologies At the Periphery (SDTaP) initiative, co-developed by Jeremy. PETRAS comprises 22 universities and has 120+ industrial and government user partners.

Ben Sheridan leads on industrial digital transformation at BSI. He has a wealth of experience in R&D and innovation, and has worked across many sectors, embedding good practice and learning across different industries. He started out designing power transistors in the semiconductor industry and before that did a PhD in solid state physics.

Adam Savitz is a purpose-driven and highly networked sustainability leader, with 20 years of global experience inspiring CEOs and businesses across sectors, to design, build and execute pioneering sustainability strategies. He has worked with leaders across industry, government, NGOs, and the start-up world to take a systems-based, collaborative approach – resulting in impactful transformations. Adam regularly speaks and presents on sustainability topics at leading international forums. His expertise in sustainability is very wide-ranging, having led a diverse range of programmes with clients such as the Aditya Birla Group, Anglo America, Coca Cola, Google, Mars, Mastercard, Microsoft, Pfizer, Shell, Verizon, Walmart and Yara. 

Before joining Johnson Controls, Adam was a Managing Director at Xynteo, an advisory firm that works with the world’s largest organisations to help them find new ways to grow. Prior to Xynteo, Adam helped develop PwC's leading Sustainability & Climate Change consulting business in London and New York. Adam began his career at MSCI ESG – a pioneer in the ESG industry, assessing sustainability and strategic profit opportunities for some of the world’s largest investment funds.

Adam graduated from Leeds University’s School of Earth and Environment, in the United Kingdom with a BSc in Environmental Science and an MA in Environment and Business.

Ondrej Polak is a senior leader within the field of digital manufacturing transformation. His key experience is in design and implementation of a long term strategic digital transformation programs which ultimately lead to world class performance covering all critical aspects like organisational design, technology, and internal processes.  

In his current role, he is leading a consortium which successfully secured a £1 million grant from Innovate UK for development of AI driven production system for the aerospace industry making it the first of its kind in the world.  

Ondrej believes that manufacturers across different industries have a unique chance to revolutionise how they deliver value across their value chain by re skilling their employees in skills traditionally associated with IT departments, choosing relevant technologies for their business operations, and restructuring organisation to gain full benefits of digital transformation.

Professor Paul Monks is the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). As BEIS CSA, he delivers independent and impartial scientific advice to Ministers and policy makers across the BEIS portfolio.   Paul also works closely with the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, other Departmental CSAs, and BEIS Chief Economist, to strengthen the links within and across departments, encouraging effective engagement and knowledge sharing, and to support delivery of a robust evidence base to underpin BEIS policy decisions. Prior to joining the department, Paul was Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College of Science and Engineering at the University of Leicester, where he remains a Professor in Atmospheric Chemistry and Earth Observation Science.

Joshua Young manages multiple innovative Industry 4.0 projects and collaborations that deploy novel digital technologies within the company’s new UK semiconductor foundry, connecting the physical and digital worlds to create circular business models and sustainable manufacturing operations. A digital transformation champion, he has spent his career partnering with global-tech organisations to improve productivity and operational efficiencies across NPI, engineering and manufacturing to gain competitive advantage.

Marie trained in Engineering Design & Appropriate Technology, encompassing renewable technologies and design for 3rd world countries. Her keen interest in sustainability led her to being an active member of the HVMC Circular Economy Strategy Forum and creating an environmental working group at the MTC to drive sustainable practices.  In her current role she is responsible for the transition of the MTC to being a sustainable business and driving the capability development to aid the MTC to help manufacturing with the transition to a sustainable world. During the HMVC work she helped development of a circular economy roadmap and been involved with projects that have arisen from this such as rediscover, looking at the end of life of carbon fibre and running a work stream looking at the carbon footprint of the aerospace industry. Marie has worked across a range of sectors including rail, construction, manufacturing, and aerospace.

After studying an undergraduate degree in outdoor and environmental education, Ben Goodare moved into the corporate world as a sustainability professional. Over the past 15 years he has been part of, or leading, the sustainability teams at FTSE100 and FTSE250 businesses. He is currently the Head of Sustainability at Renishaw plc, a world-leading FTSE250 engineering technologies company based in Gloucestershire.

In 2021 he was named as a Top 100 Role Model by The Manufacturer, and in 2022 became a TEDx speaker for the first time, talking about issues around climate change and social justice. He continues to expand his sustainability knowledge as a part time MSc student at Coventry University.

Tom Moran has worked in technology for over 20 years, with companies ranging from small startups, to large global corporations. With a track record of success leading digital transformation projects in a variety of industries, Tom has received a number of patents and industry awards.

Having relocated from the U.S. to Amsterdam in 2018, Tom helps lead the expansion of Lumen’s strategic services portfolio in EMEA. Tom is a recognised thought leader on digital transformation and sustainability, and active in a number of industry organisations including GeSI, techUK, the SDIA and the iMasons.

Dr. Alan Banks is the Lightweight Structures Manager at Ford Motor Company. He started work at Ford in 1983 as an apprentice with a remit to lead projects with light-weighting technologies and applications in design with mass production capability.
 
He led the Composite Lightweight Automotive Suspension System (CLASS) project, which won the 2018 JEC World Automotive Application Innovation award and the Composite UK Innovation Award winning Composite Hybrid Automotive Suspension System Innovative Structures (CHASSIS) project.

Alan has a First-Class Honours Degree, an MSc and PhD from the University of Bradford, is a Fellow and Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineering Technology and a Fellow of the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He is Chairman of the Board for the Composites UK Trade Association and Chairman of the Vehicular Composites Group and Chairs the Lightweighting UK Auto Council Strategy Group.

David is an Engineer and Business Leader with over 30 years of international experience across the Defence sector.

Having worked with Ferranti, Marconi and BAE Systems, he has managed manufacturing businesses in UK and Sweden, delivering Combat Vehicles to the British Army and international customers.  He was COO for BAE Systems Australia with specific responsibilities for their Maritime, Land and Integrated Systems businesses.

In 2018, David joined Sheffield Forgemasters as CEO and architect of the long-term strategy, and led the transition of the business into MoD ownership in 2021.  David is now leading the business through a transformational investment programme which will position Sheffield Forgemasters as a secure supplier into critical national security programmes.

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer (FRSE, FIChemE, FRSC, FRSA, FEI) is Champion and Director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) focused on accelerating the transition to net zero of the UK industrial clusters and establishing the first world net-zero industrial cluster. Mercedes is Deputy Principal (Global Sustainability) and Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Wat University. Her internationally recognised track record covers energy systems, CCUS, integration of hydrogen technologies and low-carbon fuels. She has over 550 publications, holds leading positions in professional societies and editorial boards and has received numerous international prizes and awards.

Tony Heslop is Senior Sustainability Manager for BASF in the UK and Ireland. He is a Polymer Chemist by training and has worked in the chemical industry all his working life.  His current role involves helping to support colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders to understand sustainability trends and drivers and find solutions to their problems.  This is done by bringing an expert insight into the corporate sustainability strategy of BASF, the world’s biggest chemical company.