Bill is the current chair of Future Humber. For many years Bill has been a keen advocate of the Humber region on the national stage, most recently as Director of Strategic Relationships at the University of Hull and before that as Operations Director at the Hull Daily Mail. He has been actively involved with the Humber LEP and with its predecessors the Humber Economic Partnership and Yorkshire Forward; was chair of the Knowledge Exchange Directors group at Yorkshire Universities and closely engaged with business and collaborative organisations including the CBI, National Centre for Universities and Business, Northern Powerhouse and, more locally, For Entrepreneurs Only, Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce, Humber Business Week and the City Leadership Board. Bill won business awards at regional, national and European levels while leading a world-leading business-education programme while at the Mail and won the Guardian University Awards for Best Business Partnership for his work on creating Hull University’s first Enterprise Centre, which led to the establishment of more than 150 new businesses. He established the Hull Multimedia Association in 1992 and was a founding member of City Digital and ultimately the Centre for Digital Innovation (C4Di). He retired from the University at the end of April 2020 but continues to help promote the region through his role at Future Humber.
Martin Budd is the Climate Change Manager for Hull City Council having worked for the council for the last 28 years and previously in Leicester. He has worked across many areas focused upon regeneration with communities including community health, housing regeneration projects, community work and local democracy projects. He has worked in sustainable development and climate change for the last 20 years working across the public, private and voluntary sectors in Hull to address the global challenges locally embodying the think global act local approach. He has spoken at national conferences on climate mitigation and adaptation and sits on DEFRA’s Local Authority Adaptation Panel and works with the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission on net zero, adaptation and fair transition.
Eamon is an economic research consultant, with a passion for enabling local sustainable development. He works across Urban Foresight’s skills and workforce project portfolio, researching and modelling skills and workforce needs, and working with industry, policymaking, and education to develop employer-informed, effective solutions to workforce-related issues.
His work in green skills includes research to estimate the current and future green skills demanded in the North East. This included developing recommendations for how this demand can be met to realise the full potential of the green economy in the North East.
Dr. Clair Cooper is a passionate interdisciplinary researcher with a creative and innovative mindset currently working on the Research England Hydrogen Innovation project (www.rehip.co.uk) where she is a just transitions fellow. Clair's research explores how industry, policy makers and communities perceive a transition to a low carbon future using hydrogen and how we support workers and those seeking to reconnect with work the transition towards green skills. This work builds on her post-doctoral role Trinity College Dublin where she used co-design methods to co-produce research questions to aid the development of a citizen science tool. Clair completed her Ph.D. at Durham University where she used geometric data analysis techniques, thematic mapping, and quantitative text analysis to explore the interrelationship between nature-based solutions and structural conditions that influence quality of life. Clair’s work as a social scientist is based on her experience in the water industry in the UK, where she was responsible for designing innovative community-based programs for water-use behaviour.
Sophie is the driving force behind community engagement and educational strategy at Heat Engineer Software. With a passion for nurturing sector-wide collaboration and building skills pathways, she bridges the gap between technical innovation and professional development. As Community & Education Manager, Sophie spearheads initiatives that strengthen industry connections—from partnerships with academic institutions to empowering the next generation of heating engineers. Her work extends beyond internal strategy, reaching public forums and events where she highlights the importance of accessible, high‑quality learning and inclusive outreach.
Molly Campbell is a Senior Account Manager at Maersk Training, where she drives commercial growth within the UK wind sector.
With a focus on both small service providers and large businesses, Molly plays a key role in sourcing and developing strategic opportunities that support the sector's expansion. She also specialises in leading on Green Skills Bootcamps and other funded learning initiatives, helping individuals transition into careers in the wind industry through accessible, high-quality training solutions.
Iain Elliott has been Chief Executive of HETA since July 2014, leading the organisation’s growth and development while shaping its future to meet the needs of industry and learners. A passionate advocate for apprenticeships and technical training across the pan-Humber region, Iain is committed to ensuring that young people and employers have access to the skills, opportunities, and workforce that will drive the region’s success.
Born and raised in East Yorkshire, Iain began his career after serving in the British Army. He went on to build a successful career in the media sector, working in regional newspapers in Hertfordshire and Sussex before moving into trade publishing. He later joined the Press Association, where he worked across London and East Yorkshire.
In 2003, Iain made a career change into Further Education, taking up senior roles at colleges in Oxford and London before returning to his roots in Yorkshire to join HETA. Since then, he has championed collaboration between employers, educators, and local communities to strengthen apprenticeship pathways and ensure the Humber remains a hub for engineering talent.
As Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Public Affairs for SSE Thermal, Jade leads strategic engagement for the business across GB and Ireland and has worked in the energy industry for more than a decade, bringing experience and knowledge across a range of technologies and development cycles. She has lead engagement on a number of DCO developments, including Keadby Carbon Capture Power Station, the first power CCS project to be consented in the UK. Jade is passionate about projects delivering real value for communities and stakeholders, both economically and socially and aims to drive value through her role as Board Member for CATCH and as part of the Government Hydrogen Delivery Council’s Skills and Supply Chain working group.
Maria's vision has always been to create meaningful impact through education. She believes the greatest gift we can offer the next generation is access to learning that leads to fulfilling careers and a more sustainable future. Education is a powerful driver of change, especially in addressing the climate crisis.
Providing skills that lead to employment is essential for effective climate action. While individual efforts will always matter, collective collaboration delivers lasting impact. Our generation has the responsibility to lead the transition to net-zero—education is how we get there.
After 28 years in the industry, Maria founded Quantum Training in 2021 to close the Green Skills gap. They offer practical, hands-on training in low-carbon technologies and retrofit, through cutting-edge facilities for learners aged 16+, in partnership with NOCN Group to provide curriculum to ensure competency in learning.
With low carbon and retrofit training installations in Further Education colleges nationwide, Quantum Training equips learners of all abilities from trade to new entrants with the skills needed to power the UK’s transition to net-zero.
Education is the catalyst for change—and they're building the workforce to lead it.
In 30 years of research, Professor James Gilbert has tackled a wide range of challenges with a common theme of measuring, modelling and controlling engineering systems. These include robotics and manufacturing systems, medical rehabilitation and energy harvesting systems ranging from microwatts generated from human movement to megawatts from offshore wind turbines. Recent work focused on speech restoration using articulator movement measurements for people who have had a laryngectomy. Current work is primarily focused on sensing and measurement in offshore renewable energy systems, particularly offshore wind. He is the Research, Development and Innovation lead for Aura, a collaboration between Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Ørsted, University of Sheffield, Durham University and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.
Steve Thompson has over 30 years of strategic leadership in construction and education. He led a resettlement construction programme in the prison service, created a firm employing ex-offenders, and directed employer engagement and apprenticeship programmes. He pioneered initiatives in renewable energy, sustainable waste management, green construction, engineering, and manufacturing.
Asad is a Senior Manager in the Forensics practice at EY. Alongside his technical career as a Forensic Accountant, Asad has also led on a variety of talent focussed initiatives including leading on wellbeing and DE&I for the Forensics practice, and co-founding the firm-wide Grief & Loss Affinity Group. Most recently, Asad has been on secondment with the EY Foundation, providing strategic support to the CEO on a diverse portfolio of projects, including bridging the skills gap in the “green economy”.
Andrew Johnson is the Training & Design Service Director for Groupe Atlantic’s UK, ROI, and North America Division. Leading the Expert Academy team, Andrew oversees a broad network of training centres, supporting thousands of heating professionals each year. The Academy delivers comprehensive training across a wide range of topics, with a strong emphasis on low carbon technologies. In addition, the Design Services team, based at the company’s headquarters in Hull, provides heating system design solutions to approximately 80% of housing developers across the UK.
With over 40 years of experience, Tony Mooney has built a reputation for bringing people together to tackle complex and challenging projects across a wide range of industries, both nationally and internationally. His diverse portfolio includes initiatives in property, employment, football, music, and even the creative conversion of a double-decker bus into a camper van. Today, Tony is focused on the energy efficiency sector, working to reduce energy bills for those experiencing fuel poverty. Since January 2024, Tony has led the Energy Efficiency Association Lifelong Learning and Career Pathway Collaboration Project. This initiative unites colleges, universities, and commercial training providers to create a centralised online library of UK-based courses in sustainability, renewables, energy efficiency, and related green skills. The library is freely accessible and designed to support lifelong learning and career development in the green economy.
Paul McCartan, HR Manager in Yara at the Global Biological production site in East Yorkshire. Paul has been part of Yara’s DEI journey since it was formalised in 2019 and now part of Yara’s Global Pride ERG. He Chairs the CATCH EDIB Network, a network that brings companies & people in our region together to make positive impact and make here a destination. He is passionate about people & driving change to fulfil everyone’s potential and comfortable having uncomfortable conversations, otherwise things won’t change or improve.
James Mitchinson is the Editor of The Yorkshire Post and Editorial Director for National World Yorkshire, a role to which he was appointed in 2016. He has been a journalist for 23 years, the majority of which he has held editor roles at numerous titles. James has led The Yorkshire Post team to myriad industry awards, including campaign of the year for the Power Up The North initiative - bringing together rival publishers in a way not done before or since - Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain (PAMCo) and Regional Newspaper of the Year, the latter not having been achieved by The Yorkshire Post for some 20 years prior. He is a married dad to two boys and a grassroots football coach and volunteer.
Simeon Perry joined Efficiency North in November 2017 to lead the development of EN:Able Communities CIO, the charity arm of Efficiency North. EN:Able Communities has a mission to support the regeneration of low income communities in Northern England. It is the secretariat driving the development of the Yorkshire and Humber branch of the Green Skills Advisory Panel, a national movement seeking to strategically support the development of Green skill training provision through collaborations. In addition, EN:Able Communities provides training services to promote residents to live in healthy homes currently focused on damp and mould. Simeon now oversees all the ESG delivery of Efficiency North and leads its charity arm. Previously Simeon worked in for Social housing providers in both York and Leeds in a variety of roles for 25 years.
Councillor Mike Ross came to Hull in September 2000 to study at the University of Hull. Like so many people he fell in love with the city and made his home here.
Mike has been a City Councillor since 2002, leader of the Liberal Democrat group since 2015 and Leader of the City Council following the Liberal Democrat election victory in 2022.
During Liberal Democrats’ previous administration (2006-2011), Mike held various portfolio responsibilities. While in opposition Mike also chaired the scrutiny committee responsible for scrutinising the Council’s finances.
Mike enjoys spending time with his family, watching sport and exploring the outdoors!
Farhana is a Lecturer in Green Skills and Construction at The Sheffield College, possessing over a decade of experience in architecture and sustainable construction acquired in Dhaka, Bangladesh. At present, she is pursuing a Doctorate at the University of Leeds, concentrating on the principles of circular economy within the UK construction sector. Prior to commencing her PhD, Farhana had the opportunity to conduct research on the non-residential building stock and retrofit strategies for residential buildings in South Yorkshire. She is deeply passionate about zero-carbon design, material reuse, and fostering inclusive education. Throughout her academic career, she has published several papers. Her objective is to empower future professionals to engage in responsible and innovative building practices that effectively address climate challenges.
Nina Stobart is the Communications & Public Affairs Lead at Phillips 66 Ltd., where she has spent 24 years shaping strategic communications and driving stakeholder engagement. She leads the company’s philanthropic giving, volunteerism, and education outreach programmes - building strong community partnerships and delivering meaningful social impact. As a Communications Specialist and Charity Founder, Nina is a passionate advocate for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (EDI&B). She is deeply committed to empowering the next generation by creating quality industry interactions, providing inspiring role models, and highlighting the exciting STEM careers and pathways that are accessible to all, regardless of background. Nina is especially focused on closing the diversity gap in STEM, believing that while the best person should always be chosen for the role, we must first ensure that everyone knows such opportunities exist. Her work is driven by a belief in inclusive opportunity, community collaboration, and the transformative power of education and knowledge.
Currently, working at a Russell Group University, Sambit is responsible for supporting the university’s strategic ambition of developing and delivering high-impact degree and higher apprenticeship provision both nationally and internationally. He continues to work as an Ofsted inspector inspecting further education and skills providers. Prior to this role, he worked in the further education sector for over 19 years. Sambit started his career as a lecturer/trainer before taking on several senior management and leadership roles.
Chris started his career as a 16-year-old apprentice in Gas Service and Maintenance, progressing to a Technical Support Manager. Chris then joined LCB in 2008 and continued his academic and professional achievements. Chris is the model example of life-long learning, having proudly achieved HNCs in Engineering and Business at age 36, and a Master’s Degree in Building Services Engineering at 48.
Adam is the Senior Lead for Business Development & Contracting at Hull Training & Adult Education (HTAE), which is part of Hull City Council. He started in this role in February 2024 having worked in the training industry for over 10 years, predominately in Business Development in both Apprenticeships and Commercial training. A major part of his role oversees the Skills Bootcamps programme for the Hull and East Yorkshire region which has successfully run with numbers increasing annually, which has seen exceptional benefits to the learners undertaking these short, sharp courses. He also manages the Business Development across HTAE and works closely with both local communities and business. Hull Training & Adult Education provides both Apprenticeships and training in a diverse range of areas such as Engineering, Construction, Business, ESOL, Functional Skills and Crafts. Born and bred in Hull, Adam is delighted to see an event of this scale being held in the city.
