Speaker Panel (A-Z)

Technical Director
RPS Group

Elizabeth Arnett is a Technical Director with RPS Group and leads the Stakeholder Consultation Unit of the company. Elizabeth has over ten years of experience in environmental information campaigning. Prior to joining RPS, Elizabeth was the first ever manager of the Green Schools project and was instrumental in successfully establishing the project in Ireland.

Conference Programme >>

Vice President of Research and Advocacy
SUSTAINABILITY

Seb Beloe is the Vice President of Research and Advocacy at SustainAbility. He co-founded SustainAbility’s US practice and has consulted to a wide range of companies (DuPont, Nike, Pfizer, Shell), NGOs (Greenpeace, WWF-UK) and multilaterals (IFC, UNEP) on corporate responsibility issues. He has also written for a variety of publications (Financial Times/The Guardian).

Conference Programme >>

Managing Director
ICF (London)

John Blaney currently serves as Managing Director of ICF’s London Office, which provides comprehensive climate change, power market, and water market consulting services. Mr. Blaney is an energy/environment economist with twenty-six years of experience at ICF in environmental market and policy analysis, air emissions compliance strategies, and electric power market modeling and analysis. He also directs ICF’s environmental markets practice. The environmental markets practice provides integrated analysis of air emissions, renewables, wholesale power, coal, natural gas, and oil markets to electric market and fuel market clients. Mr. Blaney holds a M.S. in Public Policy and Management from the Heinz School at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Conference Programme >>

Researcher, Environmental Change Institute
OXFORD UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Catherine Bottrill is a researcher, working on the area of personal carbon trading and equity within the Environmental Change Institute at the Oxford University Centre for the Environment. She has completed a Masters in Environmental Management at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and has conducted environmental research in the USA, India and Pakistan.

Conference Programme >>

Programme Manager
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Jim Bowman is a Programme Manager with the Environmental Protection Agency. He is responsible for water monitoring programs and the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). He has particular interest in lake water quality and the acidification of surface water. In recent years he has been a member of EU Common Implementation Strategy working groups dealing with technical aspects of the WFD implementation and is a member of the EU Strategic Coordination Group for the WFD.

Conference Programme >>

Assistant Director
IBEC

Donal Buckley is Head of the Environment Unit at IBEC. He is responsible for environmental policy development, representation of IBEC members and delivery of all training, consultancy and information services to IBEC members on environmental issues.

Conference Programme >>

Director
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH (IRELAND)

Oisín Coghlan has been Director of Friends of the Earth (Ireland) since 2005. Previously he worked for 10 years in overseas aid and human rights, including two years working with immigrant banana workers in Belize and a year with Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International in Bonn. He is a member of the Board of Fairtrade Mark Ireland.
.

Conference Programme >>

Chairman
COMHAR

Frank Convery is Chairman of Comhar, which was formed in 1999 as the forum for national consultation and dialogue on all issues relating to sustainable development. He is also Chairman of Sustainable Energy Ireland, Ireland’s energy agency, and is Heritage Trust Professor of Environmental Studies at University College, Dublin. Frank is active on a number of EU-wide investigations and bodies, including membership of the Science Committee of the European Environment Agency.

Conference Programme >>

County Manager
CARLOW COUNTY COUCIL

Joe Crockett was appointed County Manager for the County of Carlow in January 2003. Joe has extensive experience in public administration and management having served at many levels in both local and central government. Prior to taking up duty with Carlow County Council, Joe was Assistant County Manager with Meath County Council. He previously worked in the Department of Environment & Local Government where he worked in local government policy development, planning and other sections.

Conference Programme >>

PARTNERSHIPS UK

Paul Dolan has been with Partnerships UK since 2004, focussing on waste and transport projects. Previously he worked in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development as a banker involved in infrastructure project finance and spent 11 years with a major USA based sponsor of energy and environmental projects, where his work included financing four large waste management projects.

Conference Programme >>

Strategic Planning and Policy Division
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT

Dave Fadden has responsibility for the Strategic Planning and Policy Division at the Department of Transport and Maritime Affairs. Among a number of issues, he has been tasked with the drafting of a national ‘Sustainable Travel and Transport Action Plan’. He has worked in the civil service for 35 years and has had experience in a number of departments and offices, including OPW, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Island and the Department of the Environment.

Conference Programme >>

Partner
A&L GOODBODY

Alison Fanagan is Head of A&L Goodbody’s Environmental & Planning Group. She advises on the full spectrum of environmental and planning matters including advice on IPPC and waste licensing, third party liability claims, corporate support/due diligence, oral hearings (particularly relative to large infrastructural projects) and submissions on draft plans. She defends companies and their directors against environmental, planning and health and safety prosecutions, takes and defends planning injunctions and has particular experience in handling judicial review litigation.

Conference Programme >>

Minister for Environment, Heritage & Local Government

John Gormley, TD is Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a position he took up in June 2007. He represents the Dublin South East constituency for the Green Party, having been first elected to the Dáil in June 1997. He is currently party spokesperson on foreign affairs, defence and health and children. He is a member of Earthwatch, Amnesty International and the Chartered Institute of Water Management.

Conference Programme >>

Managing Director, Europe
ICF INTERNATIONAL

Abyd Karmali is Managing Director, Europe with ICF International’s London Office and a Senior Vice President with the firm. Abyd has provided strategic advice on issues relating to the commercial risks and opportunities of the Kyoto Protocol and carbon constraints to European, US, and Asian companies as well as to several government agencies and regional development banks. In 1996-97 he was Climate Change Officer at the United Nations Environment Programme's Industry office in Paris and participated in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations.

Conference Programme >>

Director General
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Mary Kelly is the Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency, having taken up the post in May 2002. Mary holds a PhD in Chemistry from Trinity College Dublin, and an MBA from Dublin City University. She previously worked with IBEC where she was involved in policy development in the environmental area. She was involved in setting up REPAK, the packaging recycling initiative. She was also a member of Comhar and the Advisory Committee of the EPA.

Conference Programme >>

Director
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Dr Padraic Larkin graduated from NUI Galway with a PhD in Physical Chemistry. He started his career in the private sector and moved to An Foras Forbartha in 1978. He joined the Environmental Protection Agency, when it was first established in 1993, as Manager of the Licensing and Control Division and in 1998 was promoted to the Board of Directors. He is now Director of the Office of Licensing and Guidance and in 2004 he was also appointed Deputy Director General.

Conference Programme >>

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Ken Macken joined the Environmental Protection Agency in 1995 having previously worked as a consultant in air pollution and occupational hygiene with IIRS, Eolas and Forbairt. In 2003 he was appointed Programme Manager of the Emissions Trading Unit based in the Agency's Dublin office. The ETU have been responsible for producing Ireland’s first National Allocation Plan for emissions trading, for establishing the permitting and verification schemes for those involved in the scheme and for operation of Ireland’s National Emissions Trading Registry. Currently the second National Allocation Plan is under development.

Conference Programme >>

Assistant Principal Officer
DEPATMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Frank Maughan is an Assistant Principal Officer in the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. He is responsible for domestic climate change policy issues, including coordinating the implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Conference Programme >>

Regional Director
WHITE YOUNG GREEN

Sam McCloskey is a Regional Director at White Young Green, with responsibility for the Environmental team in the Derry office. She has over 13 years experience in environmental consultancy in Northern Ireland, across a broad range of sectors. Her main focus is Integrated Management Systems and Auditing, with risk evaluation at the core of systems development.

Conference Programme >>

Managing Director Designate
DALRIADA WATER

David Mulholland is the Managing Director Designate of Dalriada Water - the company which in 2006 won the Project Alpha PPP project awarded by the SIB and the Water Service of Northern Ireland. Prior to joining Dalriada, David was a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Belfast consulting practice where he worked on a number of public sector reform programmes including the provision of strategic and financial advice to DRD on the water reform programme.

Conference Programme >>

Assistant Secretary
DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Tom O'Mahony is an Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. He is responsible for the Environment Division, which deals with policy on issues such as climate change, waste management, nuclear safety and sustainable development. He has previously worked in the Departments of Health, Finance and Agriculture and holds Masters Degrees in Economics and Public Sector Analysis.

Conference Programme >>

Permanent Secretary
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT (NORTHERN IRELAND)

Stephen Peover has been Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment since 2003. Prior to this, he held a number of senior positions within the Department of Education, and formerly worked in the Department of Health. During this time he completed a number of secondments, to the Eastern Health and Social Services Board and the Department of Finance and Personnel. .

Conference Programme >>

Associate Director
ENVIROS

Steve Rintoul is an Associate Director at Enviros. Currently his work is focused on assisting clients in developing sustainability policies, strategies and management systems. He is working with a number of Government Departments and Agencies (including MOD, DfT and NHS PASA) specifically on their Sustainable Procurement programmes.

Conference Programme >>

Minister for Environment, Heritage & Local Government (ROI)

Dick Roche TD was appointed as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in September 2004. The Department is responsible for shaping the National Climate Change Strategy and ensuring Ireland fulfils its commitments to the Kyoto Protocol. He previously served as Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for European Affairs.

Conference Programme >>

Chief Executive
ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE SERVICE

Richard Rogers has been Chief Executive of the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) since August 2001. His responsibilities range across the protection and conservation of the natural environment and the built heritage; and the control of pollution of air, water and land. Previously, Richard was Director of Environmental Policy in DoE and he formerly spent time working at the NIO, the Northern Ireland Assembly and within urban regeneration.

Conference Programme >>

Chair, All Island Business Development Board
RPS GROUP

PJ Rudden is Group Business Development Director of RPS Group Ltd and RPS Consulting Engineers. He is also Chair of the new RPS All Island Business Development Board for North and South, covering transport, energy, water, waste, ports, airports, rail and environment. He had overall responsibility for delivery of the Gas 2025 elements within Ireland including Gas Pipeline to the West and Second Gas Interconnector. In addition, he is involved in the strategic formulation of most of the country's new regional waste management plans and follow through to implementation.

Conference Programme >>

GREEN PARTY

Eamon Ryan, TD was elected to Dail Eireann in May 2002 and represents the Dublin South constituency. He is the Green Party spokesperson on transport, enterprise, trade and employment, communications, marine and natural resources. Eamon has a long history of campaigning on transport issues and has been active in the Dublin Transport Initiative for the last seven years.

Conference Programme >>

Environmenalist, Presenter
RTE

Duncan Stewart is presenter and producer of RTE’s top-rating environmental series, Eco Eye. Duncan is an award-winning architect and energy consultant and is well-known for his far-reaching interest in environmental issues. Duncan has also produced and presented many environmental TV documentary series.

Conference Programme >>

Project Manager
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

Niels Thyssen is project manager at the European Environment Agency - an EU body located in Copenhagen - where he is responsible for assessments related to inland waters and aquatic biodiversity. His background is in the ecology of running waters and he has worked in this field in the Danish Ministry for the Environment until he joined the EEA in 1995.

Conference Programme >>

City Manager
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL

John Tierney is Dublin City Manager. He began his local government career with North Tipperary County Council in 1977. He worked with eight different local authorities prior to joining Dublin City including North and South Tipperary County Councils, Limerick City and County Councils, Kilkenny County Council, Galway County and City Councils and Fingal County Council. John is Chair of the Steering Group, which monitors the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area.

Conference Programme >>

Professor of Environmental Law
QUEENS UNIVERSITY BELFAST

Sharon Turner is Professor of Environmental Law at Queen’s University, Belfast. She has recently returned to Queen’s following a secondment to the Department of the Environment (NI) where she was the senior legal advisor on the environment. Sharon has recently been appointed to the panel of external legal experts advising DoE. She specialises in environmental law, particularly the EU and Irish dimensions (north and south).

Conference Programme >>

Vice-President for Innovation and Strategic Initiatives
NUI MAYNOOTH

Professor Jim Walsh is Vice-President for Innovation and Strategic Initiatives at NUI Maynooth where he was Head of the Department of Geography between 1995-2005 and a founding member of the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA). He was Co- Chairman of the Rural Ireland 2025 Foresight Group. He is the editor of People and Place: A Census Atlas of Ireland published in 2007.

Conference Programme >>

Head of School of Spacial Planning
DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Hendrik W van der Kamp is a practicing town planner and the Head of School of Spatial Planning in Dublin Institute of Technology. He has 25 years experience in professional planning practice in Ireland and has worked in Cork County Council, An Foras Forbartha, An Bord Pleanala, UCD and DIT.

Conference Programme >>