The Cleantech Innovate Selection Committee has been established to help develop the screening criteria for and to make determinations on final selection of the forty Presenting Innovators at the Cleantech Innovate Showcase.
The ten Selection Committee Members will evaluate and select finalists through a scoring matrix based on four criteria:
✓ impact ✓ innovation ✓ long-term vision ✓ viability
The Committee aims to ensure that the technologies presenting at Cleantech Innovate are the absolute best in their field.
Selection Committee Members:
Dr Tim Fox, Head of Energy and Environment, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
Tim’s role is to develop and communicate the Institution’s policies on energy, environment and sustainability issues, author thought-leadership reports and provide input to government policy making. He regularly writes and talks on these topics, including carbon capture, frequently appearing in national, international press and broadcast media. Tim is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of IMechE, a Chartered Environmentalist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has a wide range of research and engineering practice experience gained across many industrial sectors including power generation, chemical processing and renewable energy.
Martyn Sené, Deputy Director, National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Martyn manages the operations of NPL including overseeing its 500+ scientists. He also chairs the Executive Board for NPL’s Centre for Carbon Measurement, which is working with partners to improve measurement confidence and consistency to support climate science, carbon markets and low carbon technology. Martyn has been at NPL since 1999. Prior to that Martyn worked in applied nuclear technology with UKAEA and AEA Technology, including as Managing Director of AEA Technology EBIS Ltd. Martyn has an MA in Natural Science, a PhD in nuclear physics, an Institute of Directors diploma in company directorship and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
Dr Gerald Law, Managing Director, UKIF (UK Innovation Forum)
The UK Innovation Forum exists to give business people who run, or who wish to build, businesses that use leading edge technology access to the innovative technology produced by British universities and research institutions. Gerald established the UK Innovation Forum in 2009 to serve the needs of the business community needing access to UK research institutes’ technology and to help the research bodies to commercialise their IP.With over 40 institutions and bodies, it is already by far the largest single access point for innovative technology coming out of UK institutions.
Dr Derek Pedley, Director for Business Development, Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network (ESKTN)
Part of the UK Technology Strategy Board’s Knowledge Transfer Network programme, the ESKTN is the primary KTN supporting the TSB’s Environmental Sustainability Key Application Area. Dr. Pedley is Director for Business Development within ESKTN, brokering relationships between the investment community (including grant support) and environmental technology businesses. Derek runs the ESKTN’s Investment Readiness Forum and offers specialist advice in priority areas of environmental measurement, recovery of energy from waste, soil health, in situ land remediation, and carbon capture and storage.
Hugh Parnell, Chairman, Cambridge Cleantech / Director, Cambridge Energy Forum
Hugh is also a non-exec Director (ex-FD) of NW Brown Group and other companies, advisor on angel/VC equity and corporate finance, consultant for early stage business growth, member of Investment Committee of IQ Capital, etc. Since qualifying as a chartered accountant, Hugh has had a diverse career centred around finance and business development, including 16 years with British Petroleum, 6 years doing international corporate finance and, since 2000, in the Cambridge technology/innovation community. Hugh now divides his time between working with early stage businesses/ investment funds and engaging with cleantech activities to help grow companies.
Robert Hokin, Chief Executive, ecoConnect CIC and Selection Committee Chair
American born, Robert is co-founder of ecoConnect and Chairman of Greenbackers, an ecoConnect spinout company. He is a management and technology specialist with over 20 years international experience in quoted companies GEC-Marconi, Worldcom, AseaBrownBoveri (ABB) and McAfee, commercialising new technology and R&D. Seeing a pressing need for better business support in the cleantech industry, he founded ecoConnect in 2009. Robert is a keen advocate of innovation and it’s practical application in business and industry. He is a member of PRASEG (The Associate Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group), UK Social Investment & Finance, The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and a Fellow of the RSA.
Catherine Hokin, Chief Operating Officer, ecoConnect CIC
Catherine is co-founder of ecoConnect, with Robert Hokin, a Director of the company and chairs Women in Cleantech. Catherine’s background is in marketing and includes new business development and project management with Post Office Counters Division and Top Shop. She has also worked in politics as a writer and researcher for Glenys Kinnock and has been more recently published by the Journal of Environmental Science. Within ecoConnect, she is responsible for the events programme, brand development and overseeing the strategic direction of the business. Catherine is a Manchester University graduate and has a Diploma with Distinction from Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Jeremy Barnet, Barrister and head of Regulatory at St Pauls Chambers
Jerermy is a specialist in low carbon law, in particular energy storage, electric vehicles and the ‘Circular Economy’. Jeremy has recently formed Resilience Partners to advise on research, financial and legal risk in low carbon innovation, in particular the financing of retrofitting and other infrastructure projects under the Localism Act by Local Authorities.
Martin Charter, Director, The Centre for Sustainable Design, UCA
Martin has worked at director level on business sustainability issues for over 24 years. He is the Director of The Centre for Sustainable Design, sits on the expert boards of the EC Eco-Innovation Observatory and the World Resources Forum and is chairman of ISO 14006 (eco-design management systems). and previously was UK expert to both ISO and BSI groups on ISO TR 14062 (eco-design). He is the producer/organiser of the ‘Sustainable Innovation’ international conference series, now in its 17th year. A regular international conference speaker, Martin is author/editor of Greener Marketing, The Green Management Gurus [e-book] , Managing Eco-design, Sustainable Solutions and System Innovation for Sustainability. Martin has an MBA from Aston Business School.
