Annie is a consultant with Climeaction, an Irish firm that partners with businesses to drive meaningful climate action through carbon footprinting, energy efficiency, ESG strategy, and emissions reductions across Scope 1, 2, and 3.

Climeaction delivers practical, cost-effective solutions that help businesses reduce emissions, enhance energy performance, and navigate evolving regulatory reporting requirements. Annie works with clients across a range of sectors to design and implement tailored decarbonisation strategies.

Recently, she played a key role in establishing Climeaction’s first U.S. office, expanding the company’s international presence. She is passionate about circular economy principles and developing innovative, business-aligned solutions to decarbonisation.

Naomi Morrow is a Chartered Engineer with over 10 years’ experience in the power industry. She joined NIE Networks in 2022 as a Future Networks Engineer with responsibility for a wide range of innovation projects.

With a background in Mechanical Engineering, she has worked across a number of specialities including design, test and project management. Naomi is currently lead engineer on NIE Networks’ ground-breaking intelligent electric vehicle pilot and is seeking to design a system to better facilitate electric vehicle charging.

Naomi is passionate about a fair and just transition and ensuring that the benefits of electrification are available to everyone.

Jac Callan is the Sustainability & Impact Manager at Visit Belfast. She is supporting Belfast on its journey towards becoming a leading sustainable tourism and events destination. Working across the tourism and events industry in Belfast, her role is to accelerate sustainable performance and encourage collaboration and sharing of best practise. Collaborative efforts of Belfast’s tourism and events industry to become more sustainable has helped the city secure the position of 8th in the world in the 2022 Global Destinations Sustainability Index (GDS-Index).

Working across all areas of Visit Belfast’s activity including, cruise tourism, leisure tourism, visitor servicing and conference and events, Jac’s aim is to harness the power of tourism and events to create positive impact for Belfast’s people, place and economy. Part of her role includes working with incoming conferences to help them organise more sustainable events that consider the 3 pillars of sustainability – environmental, social, and economic.

Jacqueline is Director of International Synergies Northern Ireland and a key figure in advancing carbon zero delivery across the region. Since 2008, she has led initiatives in recycled aggregates and construction material reuse, contributing to major roadworks and NHS infrastructure projects. With over 20 years in the sustainability sector, Jacqueline has worked across government, private, and NGO spheres to embed sustainable development goals.

She was the UK’s first Sustainability Coordinator in the construction and housing association sector, earning four Most Sustainable Building awards. Jacqueline assessed the UK’s first joint Passivhaus and BREEAM project, contributed to shaping the UK Social Value Act, and supported Blenheim Palace’s journey to becoming the first UK landed estate to declare a Climate Emergency and target carbon neutrality by 2027.

Her international work includes leading HSBC’s Global Water Framework, managing Scope 3 emissions for Manchester United Plc, and developing ethical supply chain strategies and ecotourism codes with global partners.

Ciaran Connolly is the founder and Director of ProfileTree, a Belfast-based digital agency dedicated to transforming online opportunity into measurable growth for Businesses.

With 15 years of experience in scaling businesses, Ciaran is passionate about supporting businesses in introducing AI and digital tools to streamline operations and drive growth.

Ciaran will be showcasing with this year's audience how Artificial Intelligence can be a practical, powerful tool for SMEs to enhance sustainability efforts, drive productivity, and unlock real cost savings.

Chris has 30 years’ experience in financial services with a background in retail, corporate banking and strategy roles.

He is responsible for the development and delivery of a comprehensive sustainability strategy and net zero outcome for Danske Bank’s UK operations. This includes, a focus on responding to both the risks and opportunities arising, along with developing solutions to help Danske customers make the transition to a net zero future.

Chris regularly contributes to articles and publications focusing on driving sustainability action across Northern Ireland and has spoken on the topics of sustainability and climate change at a variety of conferences and events. He is also a member of the BITC NI Climate Champion Steering Group.

Geoff is Head of Corporate Banking at Danske Bank, responsible for the Corporate Banking Team & the Bank’s Corporate Customer Relationships. Responsibilities include Client Management, Acquisition & Growth Support for NI’s Top 200 across multiple sectors. Danske Bank Corporate Banking were awarded the Insider Dealmakers Funder of the Year 2025, winning the award for the 11th time in 13 years.

Danske Bank Corporate and Business Banking have supported approximately 200 NI business’s complete the Climate Action Programme (CAP) in partnership with Business In The Community (BITC) since 2021 and have provided over £250m of Sustainable Finance to local businesses committed to sustainable activity. 

Dr Michael Shaw is the CEO of Tetra Tech RPS, managing a staff of around 1500 Planners, Engineers, Architects and Environmental Scientists throughout UK and Ireland.

Michael is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Member of Engineers Ireland, a Member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, and a Member of the Institute of Directors. As part of the Tetra Tech 30,000 global consultancy company, Michael fosters a keen interest in innovation and the application of artificial intelligence in the optimisation of design and processes within the business.

Michael has sat on the Matrix Panel for over 5 years and is chair of its current Decarbonisation of the NI Built Environment report.

Shane is Managing Director at KPMG Sustainable Futures.  He has 20+ years’ experience of the global construction materials market in operations, investor relations and ESG group management.  He works across multiple sectors developing ESG strategies, climate transition plans, due diligence, target setting and decarbonisation. He is an outgoing chair of the CDP Ireland Network, a committee of sustainability professionals from across Irish industry and semi-state organisations. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of ECO UNESCO, Ireland’s Environmental Education and Youth Organisation that works to conserve the environment and empower young people.

Dr Lisa McIlvenna was appointed Managing Director of Business in the Community Northern Ireland in April 2025, having previously served as Deputy Managing Director with responsibility for Membership, Communications and Workplace programmes. A passionate advocate for responsible business, Lisa led the development of CORE: The Standard for Responsible Business, a benchmarking tool for corporate responsibility.

She holds a PhD in Responsible Business from Queen’s University Belfast and regularly lectures on sustainability, sharing her research at local, national and global levels. Lisa specialises in helping organisations align sustainability with business strategy and serves on several advisory bodies, including B Lab’s European Regional Advisory Group and the Derry and Strabane Sustainability and Climate Commission. She also chaired The Chartered Association of Business Schools’ taskforce on ‘Universities Creating Public Good’ and recently became Chair of Women’s Aid ABCLN.

Outside of work, Lisa enjoys life with her young family and energetic dog, mentors ESG professionals, teaches traditional Irish music, and loves to cook and travel.

Richard Greenwood is the Director and Owner of Verus Search, a specialist executive and management search firm delivering tailored, insight-led search solutions for private, public and third sector organisations across the Island of Ireland. With close to a decade of experience in recruitment, Richard supports organisations in identifying and securing high-performing leadership and management talent.

He will be joining the panel discussion to share his insights on talent attraction within the sustainability and green economy sector, highlighting how businesses and organisations can position themselves to secure the right expertise in this fast-evolving space.

Tom Johnson is Trajectory’s Managing Director and a researcher, forecaster and analyst with 15 years’ experience in providing strategic insight and futures and trends analysis to a range of clients, including central government departments, FTSE250 businesses, household brands and leading charities.

Tom became managing director of Trajectory in 2018 having joined the business in 2009. He has delivered some of the most complex and high profile projects. Clients have included Royal London, the General Medical Council, Vodafone, Macmillan Cancer Support, BEIS and Greene King. He’s an expert in qualitative research and quantitative research and a suite of futures techniques, particularly horizon scanning, scenario planning, PESTLE analysis and Delphi.

Tom also leads a series of free monthly trends briefings, where he hosts a webinar looking in depth at a key trend, topic or sector and also writes Slow Futures newsletter.

Eoin McFadden is currently the head of the secretariat for Matrix, the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel, and oversees the project management of its research programme and its communications and outreach.

Eoin has a wide experience of working in several aspects of innovation policy including supporting early stage technology companies and innovation in the public sector including the small business research initiative.

Donnacha Kirk is Deputy Director of Technology & Research Services at the AI Collaboration Centre, where he leads a team of data scientists and applied researchers delivering AI expertise to SMEs. He supports the development of AI-driven products, strengthens links with Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast, and expands AICC’s training offer.

Donnacha holds a BA and MSc in Physics from Cambridge and a PhD in Cosmology from UCL. His early career focused on astrophysics research and machine learning applications with major international projects, including the Dark Energy Survey and the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission.

Since 2017, he has led data science teams across sectors such as finance, cybersecurity, and e-sports—working with both startups and large organisations. Donnacha brings a unique perspective on how AI and cloud technologies can unlock innovation for businesses of all sizes and is passionate about shaping their impact in Northern Ireland.

Martin is Centre Director at the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE).

With over 25 years of working across the private, public and academic sectors Martin Doherty has extensive experience in leading multidisciplinary teams in the delivery of corporate programmes and projects. His engineering and environmental studies background has allowed him to develop a robust understanding circular economic models and integration into energy systems, policy formation and behaviour change both at home and across the EU.

Over the past three years Martin has worked with the CASE board and stakeholders to enhance the organization’s profile and impact in the research and government policy arenas.

Edward Kerr is a long-standing renewables and engineering specialist with 25 years’ experience in energy policy, innovation and sustainability. He was previously a leader in the development of Northern Ireland’s Hydrogen Sector and a Director of Energy for the Norths gas system whilst working in the Department for the Economy. Through his engineering background and advanced technology experience with strategic leadership, he is now Head of Green Innovation for DfE’s City & Growth Deals Project Management Office, supporting delivery of sustainable economic growth across this £1.4billion funding package. 

Tadhg leads the development of ethical AI guidelines and policies, ensuring innovations in Northern Ireland are not only cutting-edge but also transparent, fair, and accountable. His work focuses on embedding ethical principles throughout the AI lifecycle to build trust among businesses and the public.

With a background in Law from the University of Manchester, Tadhg was part of the UK’s first Legal Technology and Access to Justice course, sparking his interest in the intersection of law and digital innovation. He has collaborated with global organisations to design governance models that support responsible digital transformation and promote ethical AI adoption.

Tadhg’s contributions to legal and digital ethics have earned multiple recognitions, including the LAW.COM International Legal Innovation Award for In-House Legal Operations Team of the Year (2023), Future Lawyer Awards (2022), and the Dinah Crystal Award (2019) for outstanding pro bono work.

His guiding philosophy? "Transparency, fairness, and openness aren’t just great ethical principles, they’re essential when working with others too."

Lizzie is a recognized expert in sustainable procurement, having co-designed the social value approach currently implemented across public bodies in Northern Ireland. With over 6 years of hands-on experience, she has effectively supported the public, private, and VCSE sectors in executing sustainability initiatives. Passionate about collaboration, Lizzie fosters mutually beneficial partnerships that enhance sustainability efforts. 

As part of the driving force behind SIB’s corporate Sustainability Policy, Lizzie actively promotes sustainability as a core responsibility for all employees. She has successfully cultivated a community of colleagues dedicated to living and working sustainably, ensuring that sustainability is integrated into every aspect of the organization. 

A skilled researcher with strong analytical and communication abilities, Lizzie leverages her academic background and hands-on experience to stay updated on international best practices in sustainable business. By delivering practical insights, she helps organisations make meaningful strides toward their sustainability goals. 

Tim has been active in environmental services at a senior management level for many years and is a passionate believer in highlighting our place in the natural world.

Since October 2019, he has been Acting CX of arc21 – a waste partnership covering more than ½ Northern Ireland with a staff of 10 and an annual turnover of circa £40M, managing approx. 1,700 tonnes per day of material arising from a range of waste streams.  The organisations priorities are on advocacy, procurement, policy and planning, compliance and contract management and outreach.

Before that, he headed up waste management in Belfast City Council  for more than two decades and oversaw a more than tenfold increase in the Council’s recycling rate (to circa 50%).  He was responsible for the planning and delivery of waste and recycling services, and for fleet – a Service with over 400 staff and a budget of around £30M.  During much of this time, he sat on or chaired a variety of boards advising elected representatives and chief executives.

He is a member of the DEFRA Advisory Committee on Packaging (UK), is currently the President of CIWM, sits on the Board of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and is a Visiting Research Fellow with Queen’s University Belfast looking at the Circular Economy. 

Tim also holds a number of professional and academic qualifications. 

Adrian is Founder and Lead Consultant at AD Sustainability, an environmental and sustainability consultancy based in NI. 

His firm provides practical, common-sense solutions to public and private sector clients achieving cost reduction, compliance assurance, and responsible business performance improvement.  Their main support areas include ‘All Scope’ Carbon Management Planning, Circularity and ESG/ Sustainability. 

With over 26 years’ in the environmental and sustainability space, Adrian has multi-sector experience supporting organisations such as Belfast Met, EP UK, River Ridge, Spirit Aerosystems, Terex and Translink.  His consultancy also supports businesses under Invest NI’s Energy and Resource Efficiency Consultancy Framework, the Go Succeed programme and the LEO Green for Business programme in the RoI. 

Adrian is a Chartered Environmentalist and a member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. He holds a BSc Hons in Environmental Technology and an MSc in Management and Corporate Governance. He is committed to ensuring that his consultancy. 

Andrew has over 15 years’ experience in financial services with an extensive background in change leadership and strategy delivery.

He is currently responsible for supporting Danske Bank UK transition to a more sustainable future and ultimately achieve net zero. This includes supporting the organisation, including customers through a programme of education, product development and process improvement.

Andrew has completed a Masters in Sustainable Development through Queens University Belfast where he developed leadership skills in the area of sustainability.

James is a Senior Manager within the Business Services team. He has delivered energy consultancy services for a wide range of industries and public sector bodies, with significant experience in food and drink retail. James has over 24 years of engineering and project management experience with a strong technical knowledge base built up through energy auditing.

Throughout his work at the Carbon Trust, James has worked to help clients improve carbon management and tackle their responsibilities regarding climate change. Building on this range of experience, James leads the Carbon Trust's Scope 1 and 2 decarbonisation propositions, including detailed forecast modelling which enables companies to effectively plan towards science-based targets or to meet the aims of their decarbonisation strategies.

James is a Chartered Engineer, holding a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He is a member of the Energy Institute and the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Eimear is Tourism NI’s Head of Experience and Industry Development, charged with the development of authentic, immersive and sustainable tourism experiences across Northern Ireland. She also heads up Tourism NI’s Industry Development programmes – focusing on Innovation, Inclusive Tourism, Sustainability and Tourism Careers.

Michael MacKenzie is a Senior Energy Geologist at the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, with a specialist focus on geothermal energy. He currently provides scientific support to the GEMINI project, part of the EU PEACEPLUS programme, which aims to build geothermal momentum across the island of Ireland.

Previously, Michael served as Project Manager for GeoEnergy NI at the Department for the Economy, leading a demonstrator project exploring shallow and deep geothermal potential in Northern Ireland. He has also supervised research on geothermal prospectivity and its intersection with the planning system.

Michael holds a BSc in Geology and an MScR in GeoEnergy from Durham University, where his postgraduate research examined the feasibility of using abandoned coal mines to heat university buildings. His career reflects a strong commitment to advancing low-carbon energy solutions through science-led innovation.

Sally has gained over 20 years’ experience as an occupational health, safety and environmental practitioner, specialising in resource efficiency and waste management. Her experience has been gained working in defence and for over 13 years supporting the food manufacturing and renewable fuels industry. In more recent years she has been responsible for the development and implementation of sustainability planning for a leading food production and renewable fuels company, Frylite Solutions.

This year she has decided to change course and utilise her knowledge and skills as a freelance consultant. She is a passionate advocate for adopting the UN Sustainable Development Goals into business strategy and is dedicated to supporting businesses on their sustainability journey.

Kate Barlow has been working with Positive Carbon over the past 18 months to drive positive change in the foodservice industry through food waste reduction. As one of the core team members of the company since its establishment, she has played a pivotal role in the communication strategies to showcase Positive Carbon’s impact, in reducing hundreds of thousands tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere to date.

Now serving as Partnerships Manager, Kate is focused on expanding Positive Carbon’s reach nationwide, leveraging her expertise in advocacy, communications and relationship management gained from years of experience in International Development across Ireland, the US, and Africa. Passionate about addressing the environmental impacts of our food system, Kate is dedicated to utilising innovation for a more sustainable future.”

Danielle is a sustainability professional with over 24 years’ experience in delivering local, national, and European behavioural change and sustainability campaigns, business mentoring and green marketing support. She is the Founder and Lead Consultant of sustainability consultancy, Triterra, and Chair of Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL), the umbrella body for environmental organisations in Northern Ireland, bringing together charities, public bodies, and community groups to collaborate on environmental policy, education, and advocacy.

With a solid background in the industry, Danielle holds a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science, a CIM level 4 certificate in Integrated Communications; CIM training in behavioural change; a PgCert in International Business and a PgCert in Renewable Energy & Energy Management, both from the University of Ulster.

Danielle established the All-Ireland Sustainability Professionals Network in November 2020, and the All-Ireland Sustainability events, with the goal of raising the profile of the sustainability agenda across the Island, encouraging opportunities to share best practice, learnings and collaborative opportunities. She continues to manage and chair the network, which now has over 650 members across NI and ROI, and runs the All-Ireland Sustainability Summit and Awards initiatives.

Verus Search

Verus Search is elevating executive and professional search by delivering strategic, research-led talent solutions.

Sustain IQ

The all in one sustainability & ESG reporting software.

SustainIQ helps businesses measure, monitor & report on environmental, social and economic performance.

Lugh Microgrid

We enable our clients to achieve energy independence and security. Grid connected, island mode, permanent installation or mobile infrastructure. Our products are designed to meet any size of generation requirement from multiple sources, without the need, cost, or delay of grid reinforcement.

Climeaction

Climeaction is an Irish-based environmental consultancy specialising in industrial decarbonisation and sustainability. Climeaction helps businesses reduce carbon emissions, improve ESG performance, and cut operating costs. With offices in Cork and Boston, Climeaction serves sectors such as manufacturing, life sciences, and retail. Its services include climate action strategy, energy-efficient design, carbon reduction, ESG consulting, and certification support.

Diamond Security Systems

Diamond Systems is a Northern Ireland-based, family-owned company established in 1987, specialising in life safety and security solutions for commercial clients across the UK and Ireland. Their services include fire detection and alarm systems, CCTV, intruder alarms, and electronic access control, as well as providing a range of eco-friendly fire extinguishers that are PFAS-Free.

InterTradeIreland

InterTradeIreland is a cross-border trade and business development body. Funded by the Irish and Northern Irish governments, it supports SMEs across the island in exporting, innovation, funding, and collaboration. To date, it has assisted over 60,000 businesses, generating €1.95bn in business value.

NIE Networks

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE Networks) owns and operates the electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure across Northern Ireland, delivering power to over 910,000 homes, farms, and businesses. With a network spanning 2,300 km of transmission lines and 47,000 km of distribution lines, NIE Networks connects more than 9,000 new customers annually. 

Danske Bank

Danske Bank is committed to supporting businesses in their transition to net-zero emissions. Through sustainable finance offerings like green loans and sustainability-linked lending, the bank aligns its lending and investment portfolios with the Paris Agreement goals, aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner.

The Geological Survey Northern Ireland

The Geological Survey Northern Ireland (GSNI), part of the Department for the Economy, provides geoscience information and services to inform decision-making. GSNI offers extensive geological data, including maps and reports, supporting environmental management and economic development.

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a leading business membership organisation supporting over 1,000 companies across Northern Ireland. Representing businesses of all sizes and sectors, NI Chamber provides networking opportunities, policy advocacy, and practical support to help members grow locally and compete globally. Through its extensive programme of events, insights, and international connections, the Chamber plays a key role in driving economic development across the region.

International Synergies

International Synergies specialises in industrial symbiosis and circular economy solutions. They facilitate resource matching between businesses to transform waste into valuable inputs, reducing costs and emissions. As Invest NI’s delivery partner for the Resource Matching Service, they support net-zero strategies and sustainable industrial practices across sectors.

Visit Belfast

Visit Belfast is the city's official destination marketing organisation, promoting tourism and business events. In 2024, Belfast ranked 9th globally in the Global Destination Sustainability Index, making it the most sustainable visitor destination in the UK and Ireland. Over 76% of hotel rooms are sustainability certified, reflecting the city's commitment to sustainable tourism.

Matrix NI

Matrix NI is an industry-led panel advising government, academia, and industry on the commercial exploitation of R&D and science and technology in Northern Ireland. It commissions research to inform policy, aiming to drive economic growth through innovation and the development of strategic technology sectors.

Arthian

Arthian (formerly Mabbett), is an integrated planning & development, environment & sustainability, engineering & energy, ISO management systems, surveying and safety consultancy. We provide client focused solutions across the Island of Ireland to accelerate the journey to net zero, deliver sustainability strategy & reporting, and audit regulatory compliance.

Arthian is an IEMA approved training centre offering sustainability, environmental, net zero and carbon reporting courses.

Follow us on LinkedIn: Arthian www.linkedin.com/company/arthian

b4b renewables

B4B Renewables is a specialist renewable energy company helping businesses across the UK and Ireland reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint. With expertise in technologies such as solar PV, battery storage, and energy-efficient systems, B4B delivers tailored solutions that support sustainability and long-term savings.

From initial consultation and system design to installation and ongoing support, B4B takes a hands-on approach to project delivery, ensuring each solution aligns with clients' commercial and environmental goals. The team is committed to making renewable energy accessible, practical, and profitable for businesses of all sizes and sectors.

ProfileTree

ProfileTree is a digital agency that specialises in helping businesses grow through smart, data-driven digital strategies. With a strong focus on AI integration, ProfileTree supports organisations in adopting artificial intelligence to streamline operations, enhance marketing, and drive efficiency. Their expert team offers services including web development, SEO, content creation, and digital training — all tailored to meet each client’s unique goals.

ProfileTree is committed to demystifying digital and AI tools, making them accessible and impactful for SMEs. By combining innovation with hands-on support, they empower businesses to stay competitive in an evolving digital landscape.