Future Focus; UK at Expo 2020

Zoë Knight set up and leads the Centre of Sustainable Finance at HSBC, a global think tank finding real economy and finance solutions for sustainability challenges, particularly climate change.

Martyn Link is the Chief Strategy Officer for Wood Plc. A scientist by training, he works to shape energy transition to create a low carbon and sustainable future.

Crucial to helping the world achieve net zero targets is the creation of a finance system which is correctly aligned to and supportive of efforts to build the net zero economy. In this podcast episode, host Mark Jamieson, Institution of Civil Engineers, Middle East and Africa Council Member, and PMKConsult Vice President, talks to Zoe and Martyn about how, looking to the future, we will live but, more specifically, the transition to net zero. The wide-ranging conversation looks at why this is important, what we need to do to accomplish this goal and the role of sustainable finance in partnering with and supporting these initiatives by mobilising capital for net zero solutions.

Chris Sheldrick is the co-founder and CEO of What3Words, the addressing app that gives every metre square on the planet a unique combination of three words, making it very easy to find.

Street addresses and postcodes weren’t designed for 2022. They aren’t accurate enough to specify precise locations, such as building entrances, and don’t exist for parks and many rural areas. This makes it hard to find places and prevents people from describing exactly where help is needed in an emergency. What3Words has divided the world into 3 metre squares and gave each square a unique combination of three words. It’s the easiest way to find and share exact locations.

In this podcast episode, host Chloe Thomas speaks with Chris Sheldrick about What3Words app genesis and what three words are being used by companies, organisations, and individuals around the world.

Beverley Gower-Jones is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Clean Growth Fund. She is a world expert on the investment in and commercialisation of environmental technologies who spent 20 years with Shell International in a variety of roles, including Vice President of Shell Technology Ventures. In this wide-ranging conversation, Beverley talks about how a better, cleaner world can be achieved through imaginative and responsible investment, and examines the feasibility of achieving net zero carbon emissions in the UK by 2050.

https://eu.eventscloud.com/website/3173

Mike Adams is CEO of Purple, an organisation changing the disability conversation with businesses and disabled people. Purple see disability as a value opportunity and Mike is leading the development of products and services which are beginning to transform the landscape across all business sectors.

To find out more about Mike Adams and the work that Purple does, visit https://wearepurple.org.uk/

John Rainford is the co-founder of the innovation lab, systemeticinnovators.com. An industry veteran, John has been helping companies to identify and innovate based on trends and technology for more than 30 years. A mentor to presidents and vice presidents of corporations and their business teams, John promotes the importance of balancing innovation with future aspirations, both from a commercial and holistic point of view.

In this episode Chloe meets John Rainford discussing innovation projects and the creativity behind identifying technology trends.

Carrie Anne Philbin MBE is an award-winning computing teacher, author, YouTuber and podcast host with a passion for computing and computer science. Carrie Anne strives to support educators across the globe so that young people have access to a world class computing and digital making learning experience.

In this episode Chloe meets Carrie Anne Philbin MBE discussing Raspberry Pie, what it is and how this capable little device enables people of all ages to explore computing.

Aran Jones is the founder of Say Something with a special interest in accelerated learning, particularly with regards to languages. The Welsh language is one of the treasures of Wales. It is part of what defines it's inhabitants and as a nation. Welsh Government’s ambition is to see the number of people able to enjoy speaking and using Welsh reach 1 million by 2050. This is certainly a challenging ambition, but a challenge the Welsh Government believes is worthwhile and necessary to secure the vitality of the language for future generations.

In this podcast episode, host Sally Holland speaks with Aran Jones as he shares his own experience of learning the Welsh language and his speciality, accelerated language learning, particularly in the context of minority languages.

Language taster sessions:

Cornish - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fruUTWhMYt_UmVjcPMMBm6Ckg_TEKg6G/view?usp=drive_web

Mandarin - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-dTfhg41WhLvfChE8co1KC6FHIKc2mJe/view?usp=drive_web

Spanish - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1caG3GztPbG5kDLqgeRtC9u24HTCflNZO/view?usp=drive_web

Manx - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vlyXb-seb3k5baqH6uj1NDegNeZhrO01/view?usp=drive_web

Welsh - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x1x8EdhMlKxHHot6-GSbmyCSfAg9kbpb/view?usp=drive_web

In this podcast episode, host Chloe Thomas meets ZigZag CEO Al Gerrie to chat about solutions that help reduce the carbon footprint of retailers and manage levels of production.​ ZigZag provides a retailer branded returns portal that links directly from the returns page on websites. The software makes intelligent decisions, knowing the most route-efficient ZigZag warehouse to send the return to, so returns can be consolidated, resold or re-fulfilled to another customer. By using the ZigZag returns platform, retailers save money on returns, customers get faster refunds, and stock flows back in the supply chain and available for sale more quickly avoiding waste.

To learn more about Chloe Thomas and listen to more of her podcast, visit https://chloelink.com/ff

Guest Iain Percy is a four-time Olympian, three-time Olympic medallist and double Olympic champion. Passionate about protecting the oceans, the economics graduate founded Artemis Technologies in 2017, with a mission to see how technology could play a part in the decarbonisation of the maritime industry. He has overseen the company's transition from a sailing services provider to an applied technologies company focusing on green innovations for marine transportation.

In this podcast episode, host Rachael Everard talks to Iain about his motivations and the challenges he faced in his sporting career which led him to create Artemis Technologies. Ian believes the sea is a perfect place to start with full autonomy, and that domestic maritime transportation is where the UK can show leadership. As Artemis will soon launch their fleet of zero emission vessels, Iain argues how a green solution is more cost effective over time for operators, but work must be done to convince them to make the jump.

Marek Reichman has worked across some of the world’s most famous automobile brands. The 16 years that Marek has been with Aston Martin Lagonda have seen one of the most prolific periods of new model introductions for the British marque, as he led a period of intense innovation and creativity.  

In this podcast episode, host Rachael Everard discusses with Marek the challenges around an autonomous future for a brand which specialises in designing vehicles for the driver’s pleasure. They will delve into what makes the UK a world leader in high performance car design and manufacturing and how sustainability impacts modern automobile design.