Speakers

Billy Currie - Conference Chair
Director of Estates and Sustainability, Dumfries and Galloway College

Conference Session: Welcome and Close

Billy Currie has been with Dumfries and Galloway College since May 2016, initially as Facilities Manager and now as Director of Estates and Sustainability. He has worked in a variety of roles across both the Public and Private sector since qualifying as an electrician, via D&G College, 20 years ago.  

Billy has a passion for climate change matters, working not only on the Colleges net zero ambitions but working with partners on the key areas such as net zero skills and adaptation. Having previously worked on environmental and energy management Billy provides a rounded insight into the impact of climate change and measures that can be taken to make organisations more carbon efficient. 
 

Jen Tempany - Keynote Speaker
Co-Founder, Powering Futures

Jennifer is the Co-founder of business transformation enterprise, Powering Futures. A former Chemical Engineer and educationalist whose responsibility for Apprenticeship and Graduate Programmes early in her career sparked her enthusiasm for development of young people and unleashing their potential.

Powering Futures exists to solve a range of interconnected issues around sustainability, engagement, skills, innovation and critically economic prosperity. It is specifically geared to young people and is a facilitator between business and education. Through their unique Challenge Programme businesses are unearthing talent in their workforce at the same time over 100 schools across Scotland are participating in their accredited programmes.

Powering Futures is one of the 2024 UK nominations for the prestigious Global Earth Shot Prize.



Valerie Jackman - Plenary Chair
Delivery and Engagement Partner, College Development Network

Conference Plenary: Leadership for the future

Valerie Jackman is a Delivery and Engagement Partner at College Development Network (CDN) and works as an independent Executive Coach.  A lecturer in Leadership since 2005, she is an experienced educator, skilled facilitator and creative catalyst.  Valerie has studied and worked with international thought leaders including Nora Bateson, Otto Scharmer, Margaret Wheatley and the International Futures Forum. She is a CMI Fellow and an Academic Associate with CIPD. 

Satwat Rehman - Plenary Chair
Chief Executive of One Parent Families Scotland and Co-Chair of the Just Transition Commission

Conference Plenary: Learning for and with society

Satwat Rehman is the Chief Executive of One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) and co-chair of Scotland’s Just Transition Commission. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the voluntary and public sector in Scotland and England, working in the fields of equalities, education, employability, economic development/regeneration and early years and childcare. Since joining OPFS in 2011, Satwat has been a member of several commissions and advisory groups including the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls and the Scottish Government’s Social Renewal Advisory Board. She is on the boards of Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland and Child Poverty Action Group (UK).
 

Clare Wharmby - Plenary Panellist
Programme Director for the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service, Edinburgh Climate Change Institute

Conference Plenary: Leadership for the future

Clare works in the Climate Partnerships team at ECCI, and is Programme Director for the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service, working in partnership with the Improvement Service and alongside the Sustainable Scotland Network to support area-wide climate action across Scotland. 

Clare has worked for over 20 years with the public sector in Scotland and has partnered with many of the public bodies and support agencies to develop tools, training and guidance around climate change and sustainability. She has been active in developing and setting up the SCIS which will support Scotland’s local authorities with their approach to the climate transition through effective, climate-informed decision making at all levels and on an area-wide scale. The SCIS will support local authorities to move existing climate action plans online and use a shared data platform to design, implement and improve area-wide emissions reduction programmes, focusing on effective climate solutions and the systemic changes needed to fund and implement them. 
 

Kirsty Robb - Plenary Panellist
Vice Principal - Finance and Corporate Services, Borders College

Conference Plenary: Leadership for the future

Kirsty, a member of the Executive Team at Borders College, oversees key areas like estates, IT, and finance, essential for meeting the needs of students, staff, and stakeholders. With extensive experience in major capital projects, such as the Borders Railway and broadband rollout, she has also managed the £900m Scottish Borders Council Pension Fund. A qualified accountant and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy member, Kirsty focuses on ensuring the College's long-term financial stability while fostering partnerships with the public and private sectors. She is deeply involved in the Borders community and embraces the College's "Live, Love, Learn" ethos.


 

Aekus Kamboj - Plenary Panellist
Environmental Projects Coordinator, CEMVO Scotland

Conference Plenary: Learning for and with society

Aekus is a passionate and strategic climate change professional with an experience of leading on campaigning, community engagement and influencing work. She currently leads the environmental team at CEMVO Scotland while developing a diverse portfolio of environmental justice related projects and partnerships. She has a strong belief in the power of people in creating change and uses creativity and innovation to spearhead local and national engagement initiatives, specialising in working with ethnic-minority communities.

Aekus holds multiple advisory board positions where she provides expertise on environmental justice, namely at People’s Plan for Nature, Green and Global Britain, Treescapes UK and GALLANT. Aekus enjoys public speaking and frequently joins conferences and events across the sector to share knowledge and ideas. You can find Aekus in a local café with a book and a flat white on the weekends.

 

Professor Ria Dunkley - Plenary Panellist
Professor of Environmental Pedagogy, University of Glasgow

Conference Plenary: Learning for and with society

Professor Ria Dunkley, Professor of Environmental Pedagogy at the University of Glasgow, leads community collaboration within the GALLANT project, a NERC-funded initiative focused on sustainable solutions for urban challenges. Her work in ecopedagogy fosters partnerships that address sustainability through education and research. She is also Associate Director of the Centre for Sustainable Solutions and co-chairs the European CIVIS hub for Climate, Energy, and Environment.

 

 

Sam Thomson - Plenary Panellist
Head of Sector - Engineering Technologies, West College Scotland

Conference Plenary: Learning for and with society

I worked within the Building Services Engineering sector for 6 years prior to becoming a lecturer at North Glasgow College in December 2002, and Senior Lecturer in April 2010.

Through the merger of colleges in Scotland, I became a Curriculum Manager in Building Services Engineering at Glasgow Kelvin College in April 2014. In March 2024, I commenced post as Head of Sector for Engineering Technologies at West College Scotland. 

I also carry out external quality assurance work for SQA and have been appointed as a Senior Verifier in Building Services Engineering since August 2016. 
 

Emily Stone - Breakout Speaker
Net Zero Support Officer, Heriot-Watt University

Conference Breakout: The future of food at institutions

Emily is the Net Zero Support Officer at Heriot-Watt University, working across the Global Environmental Sustainability and Estates teams. With a focus on sustainable catering, active travel, sustainable transport, recycling, and estate decarbonisation, Emily’s role helps drive the University's commitments to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Emily has a particular interest in how effective communication and presentation of information can empower climate action, having previously managed Edinburgh Science’s Climate Engagement programme empowering businesses and communities to take climate action.




Siôn Pickering - Breakout Speaker

Sustainable Business and Fair Trade Programme Manager, University of Edinburgh

Conference Breakout: Scope 3 Supplier Net Zero Routemap

Siôn started working to address Scope 3 emissions at the University of Edinburgh in 2018 and, since 2021, has been focused on ensuring that environmental sustainability & human rights are considered within institutional procurement processes. Siôn’s role looks at how the University can embed circular economy principles to reduce the consumption of goods, services and works, as well as developing opportunities for sector-wide collaboration to support achieving ambitious climate targets. 
 
When he’s not working, Siôn enjoys adventures with his young family, exploring new places on foot or by bike. 





Sarah Gowanlock - Breakout Speaker

Partnerships Manager, Food for Life Scotland

Conference Breakout: The future of food at institutions

Sarah Gowanlock is a Partnerships Manager for the Food for Life Scotland programme within Soil Association Scotland.  Through her role, Sarah grows supportive partnerships and initiatives across the food systems sector in Scotland, working to embed the Food for Life approach and drive positive change. Sarah has worked as part of the Food for Life Scotland team since 2018, which supports local authorities and other public sector settings to achieve the Food for Life Served Here certification, a catering framework for serving fresh, local and sustainable meals. 







Sue McVey - Breakout Speaker

Business Development Manager, Food for Life Scotland

Conference Breakout: The future of food at institutions

Sue McVey is the Business Development Manager at Food for Life Scotland, Sue loves all aspects of good food from growing, cooking, eating and best of all sharing tasty food with others. She has over 20 years’ experience working in various sectors of the food industry in product development, education, sustainability and nutrition. Sue is a passionate advocate of healthy and sustainable diets for all and loves to help others achieve this.

 

 

Karyn King - Breakout Speaker
Operations Manager in Department of Creative Industries, Hospitality and Tourism, Forth Valley College

Conference Breakout: The future of food at institutions

Karyn is an experienced professional with more than 30 years working in the Hospitality industry. This includes roles varying from the five star Cameron House Hotel, and a varied career within branded restaurants, including roles such as Area Manager and Recruitment Manager. This experience led to Karyn building a career within Hospitality lecturing at Edinburgh College, before subsequently moving on to Forth Valley College.

At Forth Valley College, Karyn started as Operations Manager in August 2017. She leads on all operational aspects within the Hospitality and Events team. This includes managing the curriculum, a sizeable schools portfolio, as well as the commercial offering within FVC. Commercially speaking her role sees her lead on growth and delivery of internal and external catering, including the three campus refectories and the Gallery Training Restaurant at our Stirling Campus.
 

Cullen Warnock - Breakout Speaker
Chief Estates Officer, Abertay University 

Conference Breakout: District heating - implementation process and troubleshooting

Cullen has worked in construction and property for over 35 years and never had a desire to work in any other sector. He has a background in building services engineering and worked in consultancy, contracting and property development organisations, all within the private sector.

He took up post as Chief Estates Officer at Abertay University, Dundee in March 2021. The primary focus of his work is on development of a low carbon energy infrastructure to the city centre campus. Infrastructure is fundamental to growth at organisational and societal level and, in collaboration with Dundee City Council and Scottish Government, the Abertay University project is a catalyst for the city of Dundee’s heat network in line with their recent strategies.

Cullen has an unhealthy interest in politics which is countered by a love of music, hill walking and family.


Katherine Ellsworth-Krebs - Breakout Speaker
Chancellor’s Fellow in Sustainable Design, University of Strathclyde

Conference Breakout: The transport challenge - alternatives to flying for research and fieldtrip emissions

Katherine is a Chancellors’ Fellow in Sustainable Design at the University of Strathclyde. For over a decade she has been a sustainability researcher on topics including energy, circular economy, and sustainable lifestyles in high income countries.

Currently she is focused on working with organisations to create a ‘culture of sustainability.’ This work is based on her involvement co-founding Transition University of St as well as ongoing research alongside IEMA to understand how to support sustainability professionals in multiple to thrive. Katherine emigrated from the United States in 2008 and has multiple publications on the complexity and need for flying less.

 

Jo Allatt - Breakout Speaker

Head of Sustainability (Policy and Engagement), UKRI

Conference Breakout: The transport challenge - alternatives to flying for research and fieldtrip emissions

Jo Allatt is UKRI Head of Sustainability (Policy and Engagement), a Chartered Environmentalist and full member of IEMA.

Most recently Jo has played an instrumental role in bringing stakeholders together across the research and innovation sector to explore opportunities to address the environmental sustainability of research practice through the collaborative development of the new sector-wide concordat. Jo also has a focus on policy and culture change in UKRI and works closely with the UKRI Commercial team developing UKRI’s responsible procurement work.

Jo was a judge for the Green Gown Awards in 2021 and 2022.




 

Lara Fahey - Breakout Speaker
Sustainability Project Officer, EAUC Scotland

Conference Breakout: The transport challenge - alternatives to flying for research and fieldtrip emissions

Lara has spent the last eight years dedicated to working on sustainability, with a focus on sustainable transport. Lara joined the EAUC Scotland team in August 2022 as Scotland Sustainability Project Officer. Her role involves running events and creating resources for EAUC’s members, on topics such as transport, climate risk and waste. You can find some of her latest publications on the EAUC website, including the Business Travel Guide for FHE, Climate Risk Register and Tool and Reducing Aviation Emissions in the Tertiary Education
and Research Sector Briefing Paper.

Outside of work, Lara enjoys gardening, walking, home DIY projects, plant-based cooking and board games, among other interests.

 

Scott Davidson - Breakout Speaker
Deputy Director SRS & Head of Sustainability, University of Edinburgh

Conference Breakout: Biodiversity strategy, implementation and reporting

Scott joined the University in 2022 as Deputy Director for Social Responsibility and Sustainability and Head of Sustainability. Accountable for the delivery of the University's array of environmental strategies and plans including Zero by 2040 and the biodiversity action plan, he leads the sustainability team's work in taking a "whole institution response" to climate change and biodiversity. This response includes embedding sustainability within teaching and learning, research, partnerships and operations. Prior to joining the University Scott worked for the University of Bath and held various senior management roles in the sustainable consultancy and charity sector. Scott is a social psychologist by trade, a published author and award-winning researcher in the fields of behaviour change and sustainability.





 

Iain Thom - Breakout Speaker
Senior Policy Advisor on Climate Change, Scottish Government

Conference Breakout: Climate resilience and adaptation: communicating the message at all levels

Iain Thom is a Senior Policy Advisor on climate adaptation in the Scottish Government. Iain works in the team that coordinates the recently published Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029.













Rory Hill - Breakout Speaker
Sustainability Project Manager, Central and South Scotland College Partnership

Conference Breakout: Climate resilience and adaptation: communicating the message at all levels

Rory has been based at EAUC Scotland since January 2022 as Sustainability Project Manager, working across Borders College, Forth Valley College and West Lothian College. He is responsible for helping the colleges to deliver projects to reduce carbon emissions and to promote sustainable practices. The projects Rory has helped the Colleges to deliver include the introduction of new Net Zero Plans, Climate Change Risk Assessments and supporting campus decarbonisation projects.

Rory has an MSc in Environment, Culture and Society from the University of Edinburgh and an MA in Human Geography from the University of Aberdeen.


.

Romany Rae - Breakout Speaker

Business Lecturer, West Lothian College

Conference Breakout: Capacity building for sustainability in learning and teaching

Romany Rae is a dedicated Business lecturer at West Lothian College with a passion for fostering sustainable practices in education. Her expertise lies in embedding sustainability into the curriculum and inspiring students to become environmentally conscious leaders. Through innovative teaching methods and real-world projects, Romany empowers students to contribute to a more sustainable future. 
.
.
.
.
.
 

Lucy Patterson - Breakout Speaker

Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum Coordinator, University of Edinburgh

Conference Breakout: Capacity building for sustainability in learning and teaching

Lucy has been supporting tertiary educators to embed sustainability in the curriculum for 3 years, currently as Climate and Sustainability Curriculum Coordinator in the University of Edinburgh's Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, and prior to that at EAUC itself.

She believes all courses can marry pedagogy and content to empower students to tackle sustainability and encourages colleagues to do so through an internal community of practice and by advocating within institutional projects. 





 

Victoria Tait - Breakout Speaker
Academic Developer, University of Edinburgh

Conference Breakout: Capacity building for sustainability in learning and teaching


Victoria Tait is an Academic Developer in the Institute for Academic Development at the University of Edinburgh (UoE). Prior to joining the UoE she worked as a Lecturer Practitioner (Education for Sustainability) at Anglia Ruskin University where she supported the adoption of the university’s pioneering and award-winning interdisciplinary Ruskin modules. 

Victoria has over 10 years’ experience supporting educators to embed sustainability into the curriculum and has worked with students on a range of extra-curricular sustainability initiatives. Alongside her work at the UoE, she is the Module Lead for a module on sustainability as part of an international Bootcamp on Education for Sustainable Development and Learning Design.


 

Sonya Peres - Breakout Speaker
Senior Project Manager - Education (programmes), SOS-UK

Conference Breakout: Capacity building for sustainability in learning and teaching

Sonya (she/her) is a Senior Project Manager at Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK), leading UK and global programmes bringing together students and their institutions to transform education for climate justice. Sonya sees education as a vehicle to decolonise and decarbonise our world, and is passionate about facilitating spaces, programmes and conversations to centre student voice and experience in this important journey.


In 2024, Sonya was awarded 30 under 30 environmental educators by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).

Rosina Watson - Breakout Speaker

Associate Professor of Sustainability, Cranfield School of Management

Conference Breakout: Connecting Education for Sustainable Development and Green Skills - breaking down silos

Rosina is Associate Professor of Sustainability at Cranfield School of Management, and Head of the School’s Sustainable Business Group. Her research centres on sustainable innovation, both in large corporate organizations and by entrepreneurs, with a focus on how partnerships and collaboration can enhance such innovation. She directs a specialist part-time Sustainability MSc as well leading modules on sustainable business across other master’s courses and executive education programmes. Prior to joining academia, Rosina was Head of Corporate Sustainability at Home Retail Group (Argos and Homebase), following 15 years prior experience in finance, M&A, strategy and commercial roles in Shell, ITV, Carphone Warehouse and Home Retail Group. She holds a PhD from Cranfield School of Management, and a first-class degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.

 

Carrie Higgins - Breakout Speaker
Tertiary Education Leader Technology, Environment and Education, UHI Inverness

Conference Breakout: Connecting Education for Sustainable Development and Green Skills - breaking down silos

Carrie Higgins is the Tertiary Education Leader Technology, Environment and Education at UHI Inverness and is responsible for curriculum areas including Construction, Education, Engineering, Forestry and Science. Within these curriculum areas she oversees the provision of full-time, part-time, apprenticeships and work-based education from SCQF Level 4 to 11.

Carrie is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has a Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Education with Teaching Qualification Further Education from the University of Stirling. Before coming into the tertiary education sector Carrie worked as a civil engineer in various projects across Scotland having graduated from Heriot Watt University in 2006 with a BEng (Hons) degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. More recently, she was awarded a PgCert Civil Engineering and Construction Management.

Carrie joined UHI Inverness in 2009 and has designed and developed curriculum, including the Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships in Civil Engineering and Construction, work-based degree in Forestry and MSc Engineering and Built Environment Management. She has also had a wider impact on Scottish education, working with national groups to develop qualifications and training.
 

Lou Mycroft - Breakout Speaker
Green Skills Project Facilitator, Fircroft College

Conference Breakout: Connecting Education for Sustainable Development and Green Skills - breaking down silos

Dr Lou Mycroft works with Fircroft College of Adult Education to facilitate the skills development of Green Changemakers across UK further education.

After a career in community work, public health and social purpose FE, Lou now works with changemakers and policymakers, helping the sector move from good intentions to sustainable change. This takes graft, and there are still people looking for magic bullets, but change is in the air. She is a TEDx speaker (‘Ethics of Joy’), co-founder of the JoyFE Collective and a long-time Thinking Environment advocate. Momentum needs both potentia - joyful collective changemaking power - and pause, if sustainable green skills are to be embodied, rather than embedded, in education.