Programme 2023

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dr Richard Drake is Babcock’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He joined Babcock in 2007 and has held several senior management roles across the business before taking up his current role as CTO. He has overarching responsibility for driving Babcock’s Innovation & Technology strategy and brings with him extensive industrial experience across defence, aerospace and nuclear alongside transformation, cultural change and business growth.

Richard is a Chartered Engineer, holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Bath University, is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and  a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Programme.

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.

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.

Dr Benjamin Silverstone holds an MSc in Management and a PhD in Engineering as well as a professional teaching qualification. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Ben has worked in education for almost 20 years and has held various teaching and management positions in Colleges and Universities. At present Ben is the Head of the WMG Skills Centre which oversees the development and delivery of courses that are not part of degree programmes. His role places him as a thought leader in the space of future skills and he is regularly engaged with government bodies in establishing the evolution of skills in the UK. Ben is a founder of, and leads, the National Electrification Skills Framework as part of a coalition of leading UK institutions and industrial partners. As part of this work he also chairs the national forum on Electrification Skills. In addition to his leadership roles Ben has also published in a wide range of media on the topics of skills and human interaction with technology. Early in his career Ben spent a total of 15 years with the Royal Navy and HM Coastguard earning several commendations.

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.

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.

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.

Nick Davis leads our Digital Transformation offering for industrial clients, focused on the use of digital in transforming supply chains and manufacturing operations. 

He leads the UK firm’s focus on Industry 4.0 and Industrial IOT, and helps global manufacturers to deliver the outcomes from their most challenging Digital-enabled transformation 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.

John joined Engineers Without Borders UK in March 2022.  Prior to this, he was Executive Director of the International Geosynthetics Society, promoting innovative materials and applications for sustainable outcomes in civil engineering worldwide. Previously, John was Head of Sustainable Urbanisation and Director External Affairs at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). At RICS, John led international research and sustainability programmes, and the adoption of international standards. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.