Bio

I've recently moved to EQUANS/ENGIE in the Urban Energy Business to take up the role of Strategy, Policy and Innovation Director. This follows a rich career with over 17 years’ experience in energy and sustainability within the built environment working in consultancy, strategy and delivery roles in the private sector, local government and the civil service. Recently I head up the BEIS Strategy Implementation and Portfolio team who are working towards developing the strategic approach for decarbonising buildings over the next decade. The team is responsible for drawing together BEIS near term policy and development work across both the Clean Heat and Energy Efficiency & Local directorates to deliver against our strategic objectives. This includes ensuring delivery in the 2020s and work to setting us on a path to decarbonising buildings through the 30s and 40s towards net zero. I graduated with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 2001 and started my career as a Sustainability Consultant for Faber Maunsell (AECOM). At AECOM I worked on a wide range of research and delivery projects with special interest areas building sustainability, district heating and water efficiency. In 2010 I joined Islington Council and successfully delivered Islington Council’s award winning heat network, Bunhill Heat and Power and developed Islington’s innovative decentralised energy project programme including an innovative project to capture waste what from a London Underground Tube ventilation shaft. In November 2013 I joined the Heat Network Delivery Unit at DECC to help deliver support to local authorities investigating heat network opportunities and developing projects. Working as a critical friend, the support is aimed at helping local authorities take forward heat network projects by helping to focus activities, get best value for external works, assist in the interpretation of technical and commercial implications of a project, and supporting the project team develop structures to deliver and potentially govern heat networks. I continued to do this part time whilst also continuing to work at Islington until 2015 when I joined BEIS full time. Returning to BEIS after maternity leave in 2017, I took on the role as Head of the Heat Network Investment Project. HNIP, a Government Major Project, secured £320m of funding to invest in heat networks projects through grants and loans. The project aims to grow the UK heat networks market to help meet Uk decarbonisation targets. In 2019 I moved into the Heat and Buildings Strategy and Portfolio role.