Peter Kavanagh has over 16 years’ experience in financing and development in the renewable energy sector and is passionate about sustainable investment and accelerating growth in low-cost renewable energy. He founded Harmony Energy in 2010 and the company has gone on to become one of the UK’s leading developers, owners and operators of utility-scale battery energy storage, as well as developing, building and operating wind and solar projects. Harmony Energy Income Trust Plc was successfully floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2021. Peter is also a Director of Jones Food Company, Europe’s largest high care hydroponics facility, which is now majority owned by Ocado Group.

David founded The Kerfoot Group jointly with his wife Elizabeth in 1980 in a back bedroom using £300 capital which grew to sales of over £80 million on a global basis exporting to over 50 countries. The company process, pack and distribute vegetable oils on three sites in the Port of Goole with a subsidiary in Poland and a sales office in New York. The group’s main markets are food manufacturing, cosmetics and aromatherapy, its head office being in Northallerton. The Group was sold to French agricultural giant Avril in 2015.

He is a passionate social entrepreneur and has a long history of community service. A founding member of the LEP for York, North Yorkshire and the East Riding, he was Deputy Chair for five years and chairman for 3 years until April 2021. Chairman of Pendragon Community Trust for 20 years which he helped found to build a facility for the multi disabled, trustee of Hambleton Foodshare, patron of the Samaritans and Clean Slate Solutions and founder of an initiative called Smile for Moldova which supported people in the poorest country in Europe. A lifelong activist in the Prison Service as well as being a trustee of Breadline. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire and was High Sheriff of North Yorkshire for the year 2020-21.

David has done many things in his life including being full time president of the student’s union at Sheffield Polytechnic (now Hallam University), speaking at the young persons United Nations in New York and over the last few years giving evidence at Parliamentary Committees on subjects such as small business and growth prospects for our region. He is passionate about helping small businesses and developing the region.

He is an honorary life member of Sheffield Hallam University Students Union, an honorary life senator of Junior Chamber International, Hambleton Champion 2014-15 and was awarded the MBE in 2009 for services to business and the community in Northallerton and HM Prison Service. In the 2022 New Year’s Honours list he was awarded the CBE for services to rural business, charity, and the voluntary sector.

Neil McCallum is the CEO of Bradford-based Sovereign Health Care. Sovereign Health Care is one of the UK’s longest established providers of health care cash plans for individuals and businesses, with approximately 67,000 customers across the UK. As well as leading the 150 year old not-for-profit’s growth and customer-first strategy, Neil also oversees its community programme, which last year alone donated £1.5 million to local charities, community groups and NHS Trusts. Neil was formally appointed as Sovereign’s CEO in December 2023 after more than a decade at Benenden Health, including eight years as Head of Products and Partnerships.  In this role, Neil led the team responsible for developing, launching and managing Benenden’s suite of financial services and healthcare products. Neil also led the subsidiary business, Benenden Wellbeing Limited, which provides products and services to Benenden Healthcare members, and supports the Society in strategy development and product innovation. With almost 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry, Neil started his career at Royal Bank of Scotland and spent seven years at insurance broker, Equity Direct Broking Limited (EDBL) before joining Benenden Health in 2013. Neil is married with three children and enjoys travel, hill walking, running, and trying to look after his overgrown garden!