Speakers

Andrew Lamb is a sports marketing professional who has held a number of partnership development roles in sport over the last 17 years. These roles have included stints with Sale Sharks (rugby), and Manchester United and Everton (football), before stepping into the world of offshore sailing with The Ocean Race.

In Andrew’s current position with The Ocean Race, purpose is at the heart of the partnership programme he leads and is the central focus when securing new partnerships. This is primarily driven by the Race’s objectives around ocean health (and the role of a healthy ocean towards a sustainable planet), and gender equity, with all teams of The Ocean Race comprising of a mix of genders. Partners are backing these areas of focus and finding ways to leverage it to support their own business objectives in the spaces of equality & diversity, sustainability and nature protection.

Fiona joined the global purpose-driven sports entertainment league SailGP in 2020 with a mission to help make sustainability and inclusivity essential to the fabric of sport. Fiona is the mastermind of the SailGP Impact League – a world-first in sport which sees athletes race to win two podiums: one for sporting performance and one for the planet. The league champions authentic, committed, and impactful initiatives and rewards positive sustainability and social actions.

Fiona has an exceptional track record of shaping social impact strategy, promoting gender equality and campaigns for some of the world’s most high-profile sports brands and talent. She was the driving force behind Sky’s corporate and social purpose team, The Bigger Picture, and led the Sky Ocean Rescue consumer campaign, which reached an awareness of over 50 million people across Europe and resulted in behavioral change among its customers towards plastics. Fiona is proud to be an Ambassador for Meaningful Business, a member of the Social Impact Committee, member for the British Paralympic Association, an advisory board member at 17 Sport, and Non-Executive Board Member of the Manchester Originals – a team in the new Hundred tournament shaking up and growing the game of cricket.

Fiona is also a judge for the Laureus Sport for Good index and a founding member of Sports Pro Media NEW ERA programme, which recognises, supports and advocates for gender equality and representation within the international sports industry.
Under Fiona’s guidance, SailGP has won both the BBC Green Sport Ambition and Impact Award, as well as the Sports Industry Environmental Sustainability Award.

Fiona was also shortlisted for Edie Sustainability Leader of the Year in 2023, for which she was highly commended.

Sander van Stiphout is Director Innovation and Advisory and director of the consultancy branch of the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
What drives Sander is to contribute to a well-managed, safe stadium with great fan engagement that makes profit and simultaneously create true value to society. To achieve concrete goals for the stadium and its main stakeholders Ajax, KNVB and the City of Amsterdam he drives innovation among ecosystem partners such as KPN, KPMG, Microsoft, Signify, Heineken, Coca Cola, ABN Amro, research institutes such as TNO, universities, SME’s, start-ups and Governmental institutions using the stadium as a fieldlab.
Sander has worked on stadium projects worldwide and was involved in projects related to all recent major tournaments, such as the Russia and Brazil World Cups. Sander was special stadium operations consultant to the Qatar Supreme Committee in relation to the FIFA World Cup 2022 preparations.

Having joined World Sailing last year as Head of Sustainability, double Paralympic medallist Alexandra Rickham has been working in sustainability in the sport sector as a consultant since retiring from full time competition in 2017. She combines her academic knowledge and insight with her practical experience in competitive sport and environmental operations to focus both on changing the sports industry and its practices, and on utilising sport’s platform to inspire change. Alexandra is very passionate about diversity and inclusion and ensuring the athlete’s voice is heard on sustainability and regularly participates on panels, podcasts and other speaking opportunities on these subjects.

Dr. Madeleine Orr (she/her) is researcher, educator, and advocate working at the intersection of sport and climate change. After earning her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota in 2020 and a postdoc in strategy at University of British Columbia, Orr joined the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough University London where she developed the world’s first MSc in Sustainable Sport Business. In the Fall of 2023, she is joining the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor.

Maddy is the founder and co-director of The Sport Ecology Group, an international consortium of academics who drive climate action in the sport sector through research and public education initiatives. Her research in sport ecology examines the impacts of climate change on the sport sector, with a focus on resilience and adaptation. She has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and several industry-facing reports that have gained global attention. Her work has been covered by the BBC, Time Magazine, ESPN, Sky Sports, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, and more. Her first book Warming Up: How Climate Change is Changing Sports (for Bloomsbury) will publish in 2024.

For her contributions to the sport sector, Orr has been recognized by Forbes’ 30 Under 30, Corporate Knights’ 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders, and NAAEE’s 30 Under 30 Environmental Educators. She was the 2022 recipient of the Rising Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota and was named a Future of Canada Fellow in 2023.

Dr Sheila Nguyen is a leading regenerative built environment design professional who has consulted with several sport organisations and professional clubs, globally, on strategic and operational environmental sustainability issues with the most recent work with the Australian Olympic Committee’s Climate Action Plan.

Sheila was given the Honorary Lifetime Member award from the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) and recognised as an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Women of Influence (2019) for her leadership in galvanising the sport industry to protect and respect the natural environment.

She has contributed to over 50 internationally peer-reviewed research outputs and media outlets, has been an invited speaker for TEDx and as a presenter at a number of natural environment and sport industry forums, most notably, at COP21 in Paris (2015), the first-time sport has been invited to the climate agreement discussions. Sheila was the invited Chairperson & MC for the Sustainable Innovations in Sport Forum in Amsterdam (2018) (Ajax Stadium) among other changemaking forums over the years.

Sheila is on a number of boards and advisory committees including as an Independent Director on the World Lacrosse Sustainability Committee.

Sheila is the Co-Founder and an NED of the Sports Environment Alliance, the coalition of sport & planet leaders in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand working to protect the places where we play so we can continue to do what we love- watch an

Seán is the Climate Justice Officer with Bohemians – a first in the world of football. In this role, he is working with the club to design climate responses that can be both led by and empower the club’s fans and their communities. He also works as the secretariat member with responsibility for strategy with the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative – a global coalition of organisations working to secure children’s right to a safe and healthy environment.

Over the past year, he has supported the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in the development of authoritative guidance to States on the protection of children’s rights with respect to the environment and climate change. Previously he worked with the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, in seeking to advance climate justice within the UN system and subsequently authored The People’s Transition: Community-led Development for Climate Justice with the European Foundation for Progressive Studies and the Think Tank for Action on Social Change.

The People’s Transition is a participative decision-making model that views climate action as an enabler of local development and gives people and communities ownership of the transition to zero-carbon societies to tackle inequality and raise standards of living through the delivery of climate solutions. He has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency in Freetown, Sierra Leone and with communities facing extreme poverty in Kolkata, India.

Lindita Xhaferi Salihu leads work on sectors engagement in climate action as part of UN Climate Change wider Global Climate Action work. She led development of both Sports for Climate Action and Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and works closely with a variety of stakeholders to mobilize key actors and catalyze ambitious action towards decarbonization. Before joining UN Climate Change, Lindita worked in public relations and coordinated projects promoting multi-stakeholder engagement in policy and sustainability. Lindita has an educational background in engineering, international relations and global energy & climate policy.

After retiring as a professional athlete in 2021, Melissa founded non-profit Athletes of the World with Double Olympic Champion Hannah Mills. Athletes of the World builds athlete-led campaigns for climate action, and works with elite sports teams and federations to deliver climate education and climate-focussed media training for athletes.

Since 2020, Melissa’s brought over 600 elite athletes together across various campaigns: a letter to the UK government with 320 GB Olympian and Paralympian signatories; a video to World Leaders ahead of COP26 involving Olympic flag bearers form 35 different countries, and a letter to World Rugby signed by over 200 professional players. Last year she also co-hosted the second series of Emergency on Planet Sport with Jonathan Overend, unpacking sport’s contribution to the global climate emergency and the solutions the sector can deliver to create and influence change.

Qasa Alom is a presenter, investigative journalist & director with credits on documentaries, current affairs and radio. He has been with the BBC since 2010. In November 2020 Qasa was awarded with Best Radio Presenter at the Asian Media Awards.

Qasa freelance presents for BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio London and presents a weekend show for BBC WM. Qasa further presents shows for Radio 4 that include Costing The Earth and From Our Own Correspondent.

Qasa hosted an event for the UN at COP26 and is passionate about preventing climate change because of how he has seen it affect his family and ancestral home in Bangladesh.

This year Qasa has reported for BBC Sport at Wimbledon and The Commonwealth Games on sustainability in sport. Qasa has reported on the whole of the Commonwealth Games 2022 that included the athletes parade on the opening day.

Qasa loves sport, particularly cricket and tennis. 2021 Qasa launched @realtennispod with @dominglot. 2021 also saw Qasa host @thehundred @Edgbaston . He also presented the 2019 ATP World Tour Finals for BBC 5 Live Sports Xtra, the season ending tennis tournament between the top 8 men’s players in the world, from London’s 02 Arena.

Julia Pallé is a leading expert on sustainability in motorsport and the international elite sport industry. As Sustainability Director at the world’s first all-electric motor racing series, Formula E, Julia certified the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship net zero carbon since inception, the first sport in the world to achieve the standard.

Julia is also Sustainability Advisor for Extreme E, the all-electric SUVs series, bringing electric racing to some of the most remote corners of the planet to highlight the climate change challenges faced by different ecosystems. Widely recognised as a leader in sustainability in global sport, Julia is a regular speaker at major events and conferences including COP26, Bloomberg, Sport Positive Summit, and FIA Smart Cities. Her industry roles include President of Sports and Sustainability international (SandSI), an international association of sustainable experts working to broadening and harmonising the international sport and sustainability movement. Before joining Formula E and defining the sustainability strategy, Julia was sustainability executive at Michelin Motorsport. Her primary area of research has focused on Business & Sustainability, Change Management and Project Management especially in Motorsport.

Bob Ramsak is the Head of Sustainability at World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field and long distance running, a journalist who has covered the sport globally for more than two decades and a long-time advocate for environmental, economic, and social justice.

David Garrido is a Sky Sports presenter with almost 25 years’ experience in the industry, and he is widely considered one of the leading communicators and content-makers for sport and sustainability in the UK and Europe. His documentary, ‘Football’s Toughest Opponent’, explores the relationship between the biggest sport in the world and the climate crisis, and his ongoing episodic series, ‘Playing For The Planet’, profiles elite athletes and their journeys in climate action. Recent guests include British men’s tennis number 1 Cam Norrie, Premier League footballer Ben Mee, double Olympic sailing champion Hannah Mills and marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.

Norman Vossschulte is originally from Berlin, Germany. His culturally rich background included ten years living abroad in Africa, Iraq and Spain before moving back to Germany to finish High School and College. He studied Biology and Physical Science before deciding to move to New York City in 1996 to attend the Herbert Berghof Institute for Fine Theatre Arts and Drama.

Norman’s work experience is as eclectic as his upbringing. He has worked in the hotel industry, the non profit industry, as well as both sports and entertainment industries. 25 years of practicing customer and client relations, has given him an overview of which techniques consistently enhance guest experiences.

Norman has over 16 years of staff training and team leadership experience working with The Walt Disney Company and currently the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2014, Norman became the official GO GREEN spokesperson and began leading the green team for the Philadelphia Eagles. During his tenure the Eagles obtained LEED Gold certification and were the first sports team in the world to obtain ISO20121 certification. He organized and re-branded the initiative as the GO GREEN ECO Committee (Engagement, Communication, Operations) to involve the entire organization. One of the main missions of the ECO Committee is to Innovate & Sustain. The Eagles are now the first sports team to actively invest in the ocean by offsetting carbon emissions from player

Dr. Jessica Murfree is an Assistant Professor of Sport Administration at the University of Cincinnati. Her research as a sport ecologist examines the effects of climate change on sport. Primarily, she explores these effects through social and legal implications of extreme weather, climate risks, and environmental injustices. To date, her expertise has informed organizations the United Nations Environment Programme, Climate Week NYC, and Ocean Conservancy. Her research has contributed to sport industry conversations in Forbes and Sports Illustrated and has been featured in outlets like Scientific American and The Athletic. Dr. Murfree was recognized as a 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Sports Honoree.

Matthew Campelli is a journalist, strategist and communicator specialising in sport and sustainability. He is the Managing Director of Touchline Earth, Director of sustainability for Touchline and Editor of The Sustainability Report, a platform that showcases leadership, strategy and innovation related to sport and sustainability.

Following a degree in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews, and after 12 years working in the golf sustainability sector, Philip joined Bluewater in 2022 to drive forward the company’s innovative portfolio of sustainable hydrations solutions for events and venues.  With first-hand experience of major sporting events, with a particular emphasis on delivering sustainability and legacy strategies, Philip is focused on realising the unique opportunities that are open to the sport sector globally to drive meaningful and proactive change on the sustainable development agenda.

Henry is responsible for the strategic and creative direction of Formula E’s brand and marketing.

Henry joined Formula E in 2020 from McLaren where he spent 3 years as Group Marketing Director for McLaren F1 and its technology division McLaren Applied.

Prior to entering the world of motorsport, Henry spent 16 years in the advertising industry at Leo Burnett, M&C Saatchi and latterly his own agency Antidote leading partnerships with British Airways, GSK, Diageo and Sky in addition to projects for HM Government.

My role is a Sustainability Development Assistant for Cambridge United Community Trust. I oversee the goals and sustainable projects that the Trust chooses to embark on. I have worked collaboratively with my team in sustainable projects in the Trust, for example seeing our first Carbon Literacy project training delivered to ensure we are understand the science-based knowledge in sustainability, empowering the Club in sustaining green actions and writing and evaluating a guideline that will assist in achieving green actions that are achievable long-term.

I am passionate about young people and the next generation. I believe we are to set up a good foundation for the next generation to excel. I have seen Youth-Development research that shows the growth of young people when empowered and given the right tools to excel. We can do more when we work together as a community. Sustainability helps us learn how to access change and making it accessible to all and bridge the gap for growth to continue.

Conor is responsible for the UNFCCC secretariat’s engagement with non-Party stakeholders; this includes the formal admission of observer organization to the UNFCCC process, support to the High-Level Champions for Climate Action, tracking of non-Party climate action and oversight of the ACE and gender workstreams.

Over the past 20 years he has played a leading role in the development of the international climate change regulatory framework, including through the coordination of the drafting of the Paris Agreement and the launch of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action.

Conor has played significant role in the development of the international infrastructure to support market solutions to climate change through developing the initial EU emissions trading directive and a decade of direct support to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism.

With over 15 years of experience in energy and sustainability roles for high street brands such as Sainsbury’s, Starbucks and WeWork, Jaz brings a wealth of knowledge covering topics such as energy management, waste reduction, sustainable packaging, behaviour change and social impact. In 2015 she was awarded a Royal Honours by King Charles III for her services to the sustainability sector. Jaz volunteers much of her time as a STEM Ambassador to help raise the awareness of energy/engineering careers, helping to create a pipeline of future energy professionals.

As a Social Responsibility Program Director for the NBA, Annie Horn manages social impact and platforms and partnerships across the NBA, WNBA, G League, 2K League, and Basketball Africa League. Horn leads NBA Green – the league’s environmental sustainability platform – working towards calculating the NBA’s climate impacts, creating fan education campaigns, and helping to build more sustainable practices across business verticals.

Horn also develops authentic social impact programs for league marketing partners and supports WNBA teams in the development, execution and amplification of community relations programs. Horn helped lead the launch of NBA Mind Health, the league’s program for driving the important conversation around mental health and supporting members of the NBA family. In addition, Horn supports the league’s vast international community impact initiatives.

Horn began her career as a volunteer in Cape Town, South Africa – working for a non-profit organization that leveraged soccer as a tool for HIV/AIDS prevention. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Emory University where she played Division III soccer. During her college career, she founded Think Pink, a campus-wide initiative to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

Horn is passionate about the intersection of sports and social impact, health and wellness, and taking small steps to be more environmentally conscious. She and her husband, Roger, live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Clementine Painter is Director Strategic Planning at adidas, with a core focus on Purpose and Sustainability initiatives. With adidas, she is committed to using the power of sport to contribute to a more sustainable and equal world.
Having worked with adidas since 2012, first in the French sales team, then in the Global Sales team in Herzogenaurach, Germany, Clementine joined in 2019 the EMEA Business Development team.

Since then, she has been driving the adidas Breaking Barriers Project, a five-year commitment from adidas to make sport in Europe more gender equitable and helps strengthen partnerships with properties, accounts and athletes to deliver the brand’s mission to change lives through the power of sport.

As a yoga and outdoor fan, Clementine believes that every little step can contribute to a more equal and sustainable world.

Lucy Bellamore is an experienced Senior Production Manager who has worked in Sports Broadcasting for over fifteen years, most recently working for Sunset+Vine as Head of Host Broadcast Services for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Natasha works for the Community Sports Trust at Carlisle United. She has been in post for 7 months, and has kickstarted the Trust’s work in environmental sustainability, with an approach focusing on community engagement and education.

Natasha’s background is in sport and exercise; having studied Physical Activity, Health and Exercise Science and Sheffield Hallam University. Being able to now combine her knowledge and interest in sport with her enthusiasm for environmental sustainability, is a fantastic opportunity.

Olly has a wealth of experience across British tennis having worked at the LTA in several roles since 2004. As well as competition, his roles have seen him lead their work on tennis programmes, including mini tennis, and supporting commercial tennis operators, David Lloyd Leisure and Virgin Active. Olly joined the Executive Team in May 2014 in the role of Director of Major Events and Competitions, overseeing the operations of the LTA’s pre–Wimbledon Events in Nottingham, Birmingham, and Eastbourne, as well as the Davis and Fed Cups and the calendar of international and national tournaments. As Participation Director, Olly now oversees the LTA’s work across participation, competition, and safeguarding, and is the lead within the Executive Team for environmental sustainability.

General Manager at Real Betis Balompie Foundation since 2018, with experience in policy design, institutional coordination and field interventions in Asia, Central America, Europe, and United Nations global events. Specialising in environmental issues, sports, youth employment, social inclusion of vulnerable groups of people, within the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Ben is Sustainability Development Coordinator for the EFL Trust, the charitable arm of the English Football League (EFL) with the vision to create Stronger, Healthier, More Active Communities. He works to support a network of Club Community Organizations (CCOs) to embed environmental sustainability in their work, helping them to address their operational impact and to advocate for environmental sustainability in the communities they serve.

Ben has a background in youth and community engagement and a masters in environmental sustainability and development. He is a strong advocate of putting local communities at the heart of our efforts to create a more sustainable society.

From delivering campaigns for Aston Martin to designing sustainability reporting systems with World Sailing, Dominique has worked in a range of industries from FMCG to climate consultancy. Having gained an MSc in Global Sustainability Solutions and published a paper on environmental sustainability progress in sport, she joins the team with a wealth of experience. Dominique is also the winner of numerous national awards including winner of the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s ‘Marketer of the Future’ 2019.

Aileen McManamon is the Founder and Managing Partner of 5T Sports Group, a global sports management advisory and certified B Corp. 5T focuses on futureproofing the sports industry by aligning team and league revenue models to the environmental, social and economic realities of today. 5T also works with global brands bringing their environmental and social responsibility messaging forward through their sports partnerships.

Aileen’s career began at the wheel in the European auto industry as brand steward for FIAT and Alfa Romeo, crafting marketing strategy and top-performing partnerships. She then took a tight turn into technology, heading up an investment arm of Canada’s National Research Council, where she focused on clean tech, information technologies and other innovations driving Smart City solutions. In 2005, Aileen parlayed this experience into the sports industry. Her career has included work with the Olympic Games, FIFA Women’s World Cup, MLB, MLS, MiLB, English Premier League, Tour de France and the NFL, and brands such as Microsoft, EA Games, Hewlett-Packard and Mercedes-Benz.

She currently serves as Board Chair for the Green Sports Alliance, a 350+ member association of leagues, teams and corporations innovating sports industry practices and was among the eight authors of the UN’s Sport for Climate Action Initiative launched at COP24 and a co-organizer of Sport@COP at COP26.

Ms. McManamon has presented workshops and speaks frequently on the commercial partnership valuation of social and environmental initiatives at various global conferences and league meetings. She is a native of Cleveland, Ohio; a diehard Indians, Browns and Cavs fan and lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and 2 sons. She can frequently be found on the ball diamond, the ski slope or her road bike.

Community activist Tayshan Hayden-Smith, born and raised in North Kensington (West London), founded non-profit Grow2Know following his involvement in the community response to the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. Grow2Know exists to reclaim community space to reconnect people with nature and each other – for both social and environmental benefit. Tayshan hopes to plant the seeds of change with future generations to work toward a sustainable future.

Born in Cardiff, Wales, Hannah Mills is a 3-time world champion and double Olympic Champion, making her the most successful female sailor in Olympic History. From learning to sail at 8 years old, to representing GBR at the 2002 and 2003 Optimist World Championships, Hannah continued to make waves, claiming a silver medal at the 2011 World Championships, followed by gold at the same event the following year.

At London 2012, Mills took silver, winning one of five sailing medals collected by Team GB at the Games. Four years later at Rio 2016, she went one better and became Olympic champion as part of her doubles pairing. Mills went on to claim silver at the 2017 470 World Championships, and has been constantly challenging for global success, with bronze in the same event in 2018, before collecting gold in 2019 and at the Olympic Games for Team GB in Tokyo 2020.

Hannah joined the Great Britain SailGP team in 2021 as part of the women’s development programme, and came onboard under the helm of captain Sir Ben Ainslie. Alongside her passion for promoting women’s sport, Hannah has been well-known throughout her career for leading from the front when it comes to sustainability.

As an athlete and SailGP’s Global Sustainability Ambassador, Hannah’s aspirations for a more inclusive sport and a more sustainable world. Together with Sir Ben Ainslie, she helped launch Protect our Future – a national campaign developed by the 1851 Trust, that aims to empower over 1 million young people and equip educators with the skills and knowledge to understand climate science and take positive action. She is also the founder of the Big Plastic Pledge, an organisation that calls on athletes and fans to reduce the use of single-use plastic in their daily lives.

Julia Wall-Clarke is a communications specialist with over 15 years’ experience working in international sports, during which she has previously worked with Arsenal FC, London and New York Marathons, Vancouver and London Olympics, Wimbledon and the Australian Open, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

In her current role, as Head of Impact and Communications for the sport for purpose series Extreme E, Julia focuses on the powerful and solution based journey sport can take society on when it comes to educating on electrification, environment and equality.

Sally was appointed Chief Executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club in August 2020, having been Strategic Planning & Operations Director since 2018. Prior to joining the Club in 2016, Sally spent two years as Managing Director of the Organising Committee for the London double header of World Athletics Championships in 2017.

Sally assumed this role having led the team that delivered a highly successfully Rugby League World Cup in 2013, a role for which she was recognised with the award of an OBE.

Prior to this Sally was the Rugby Football League’s Director of Projects & Planning and played an integral part in the Rugby Football League team that won the rights to stage the 2013 tournament. Prior to joining the RFL, Sally held a number of other roles in sports administration at club and Governing Body level including a period as Chief Executive of Wigan RLFC and Orrell RUFC. In addition, Sally has worked in the highly regarded sports consulting group at Deloitte and run her own sports consulting business.

Sally is also a Board member of UK Sport and has been a member of the UK Sport Major Events Panel since 2013. Sally was appointed Chair of this Panel in 2021.

Genevieve Margrett is albert’s Communications Manager. She inadvertently joined the project back in 2011 when she was part of BAFTAs communication team and was asked to help ‘quickly’ bring the project to life but stayed working with the small team in those first few years as she could see how much potential the project had to grow.

Following stints with Harvey Nichols and Diageo – Genevieve rejoined albert in 2018 and has enjoyed working with the team to help grow albert’s presence. She brought a series of events to COP26, including the pan broadcaster Climate Content Pledge announcement and recently launched an editorial engagement tool to support productions looking to bring the climate into their on screen storytelling.

Since 2007, he has been a visiting professor at the Hasan II University of Casablanca-Morocco in the Master of Banking and Financial Markets together with the University of Cantabria-Spain. In the last years he is a speaker in many organizations and events about Olympic Marketing and Sustainability in Sport.

Graduated in Law (Complutense University of Madrid-Spain), he is an International MBA (IE- Madrid-Spain), PDG (IESE-Madrid-Spain), certified in Dialogic Coaching (Francisco de Vitoria University-Madrid-Spain) and Master in Management of Sports Organisations (University of Lleida-Spain with International Olympic Committee).

He has developed his professional career in the financial sector for 20 years with positions of responsibility in the international banking area at Banco Santander in Spain, Japan, France and Italy. He also has a deep knowledge of the innovation sector, deploying a consultancy activity during 5 years in Smart City Concept and new Models for Sustainable Development with focus on Latin America.

He joined the Olympic Movement in 2011 as CFO of the Madrid 2020 Bid Office for the Olympic Games, has been Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee of the Spanish Olympic Committee from 2014 to 2017 and since June 2017 is Director of Marketing, Human Resources and Director of Sustainability of the Spanish Olympic Committee. He is ambassador of the Climate Pact of the European Union.

Leilani Münter is an environmental activist, documentary filmmaker, biology graduate, and a retired race car driver. Discovery’s Planet Green named her the #1 eco athlete in the world, ELLE Magazine awarded her their Genius Award, and Sports Illustrated named her one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world. In 2007, Leilani began adopting endangered rainforest to offset the carbon footprint of her race car and she protected over 1500 acres of rainforest during her racing career. Leilani is on the board of Oceanic Preservation Society and was featured in their Emmy-nominated film Racing Extinction. Leilani is also on the board of Empowered by Light, a patron of Population Matters and an ambassador for Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project. Leilani is vegan, drives an electric car and lives in a solar-powered home. Her motto is: never underestimate a vegan hippie chick with a race car.

Caroline joined Southampton Football Club in 2018. In her role as Operations and Sustainability Manager she has been instrumental in the development and launch of the club’s sustainability strategy ‘The Halo Effect’. As part of this she has been making company-wide improvements across four key pillars – Environmental Responsibility, Corporate Responsibility, Fan Responsibility and Social Responsibility. She has played a key role in the club being recognised for its progress in becoming more environmentally sustainable by rising to 3rd place in the 2021 Premier League Sustainability table. She’s also been the driving force behind several of the club’s most powerful initiatives, including the Home-Grown initiative which involves planting trees for every Academy and RTC graduate making their first team debut, sending zero waste to landfill and switching to 100% renewable green energy.

Through developing The Halo Effect, Caroline has become an active member in sports sustainability networks in the UK including being a member of the Management Board at The British Association for Sustainable Sport. Caroline is passionate about the environment and ensuring everyone plays their part no matter how small that change might be. Earlier this year, she was recognised and named in the ENDS Report Top 100 Power List, which showcases the environmental professionals that have had the greatest green impact across the UK during the past two years.

Dr. Cristiana Pace has been using her engineering and ESG expertise to drive sustainability across motorsport and sport for a number of years. Her career as an innovator and leader in motorsport spans 20 years, from being the first woman to work trackside for the FIA technical department in Formula 1, to making contributions to the FIA’s safety legacy and working with Williams Advanced Engineering to advance and utilise motorsport technology both in the industry and far beyond the racetrack. In 2018, she founded
Enovation Consulting, where she works with a range of key players across motorsport and sport to deliver robust and data-driven sustainability strategies and partnership activation solutions that empower clients to integrate sustainability into their business strategy – delivering on their short, medium and long-term ESG Goals.

Dr Pace holds a PhD in Sustainability and Strategic Management from Coventry University, where she is an Honorary Research Fellow. She is also a visiting professor at Bologna Business School and serves as a member of the FIA Environment and Sustainability Commission and the Management Board of BASIS, the British Association for Sustainable Sport.

Randolf Waters is Senior Director of Global Branding & Partnerships at Xylem, a global water technology leader. In this role he leads the purpose-driven partnership with Manchester City FC, Pep Guardiola, and other sports icons to “challenge global complacency on water and climate change” by engaging one billion people in water awareness, education, and volunteerism activities. He is also responsible for managing the overall brand strategy for Xylem and its 40+ product brands. An International Water Association Fellow and an Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow, Randolf has been an active member of the water industry since 2010. From Colorado, USA and currently based in Switzerland.

Philip Quinn is the Chief Operating Officer for Munster Rugby in Ireland. Philip has worked with Munster for over 15 years in various roles across the club and, prior to joining Munster, he worked with Eli Lilly and ConocoPhillips in finance roles.

His current role includes the overall strategic planning process for the club, player and coach contracting, and oversight of all finance and operations within the club. One new addition to the role during Covid has been the development of the Sustainability Strategy for the club which will form a major part of the club’s new strategic plan later this year.

Kim Wilson is the Director of Sustainability at McLaren Racing. An experienced senior sustainability professional with over 20 years of experience, Kim leads the team’s efforts to champion the innovation that will help transition to a more inclusive, net zero, circular world.

Prior to her role at McLaren, Kim worked for EDF for over a decade where she helped spearhead their sustainable business agenda, going on to lead the sustainability programme underpinning the energy giant’s ‘Helping Britain Achieve Net Zero’ campaign.

Joining McLaren Racing in January 2022, Kim has already begun embedding sustainability into the culture and decision making of the team. She was integral to the creation of McLaren Racing’s 2021 Sustainability Report, released in June 2022, and is continuing to guide the brand towards its goals of halving carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2040, in line with the UN’s Sports for Climate Action Framework target.

Amy Munro studied oceanography at the University of Southampton before embarking on a career in the sports industry, focusing on sustainability strategy creation and implementation. She has developed a specialism in working within performance sailing teams, developing her knowledge as the Sustainability Officer for the British Challenger for the 35th America’s Cup before working at 11th Hour Racing Team, which will compete in The Ocean Race 2022-23. Amy sits on the World Sailing Sustainability Commission.

Ayano Suga leads the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins’ social responsibility initiative “Dolphins Smile” with the “Off-court 3-Point” concept that categorises the UN Global Goals into the three Ps – Planet, People, and Peace – and has contributed to developing the Dolphins Smile as one of the top-tier initiatives of the B LEAGUE (Japanese pro basketball).

She works on the emission measurement of the Dolphins, the first Japanese sports organization that joined Race to Zero, and is also active in engaging fans with players’ posters and messages, which changed the mindset of about eighty per cent of their fans to commit to using low-carbon means to come to the arena.

Before joining the Dolphins, Ayano has worked with some B LEAGUE clubs in Japan after working as buyer and store manager in Tokyo. As a mother of a 2-year-old son, she is a role model for young female professionals in Japanese sports industry.

In my professional sporting career I have competed in three Olympic Games and have won multiple world medals. Alongside this I have been lucky to work for some incredible organisations: Sky Sports, Aramark, Tayto Snacks, Tayto Park and Indeed.

After the Tokyo games I returned to college to gain a deeper understanding of the sustainability field. I am now completing a MSc in Sustainable Resources: Economics, Policy and Transitions in UCL. With a focus on environmental risk, new energy business models, environmental policy, and others. It has been one of the most eye-opening years.

After my years working in the sporting industry, I am fascinated about how sport and sustainability are interlinked.

Chris is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who spent the better part of eight MLB seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds. A Southern California native who grew up as a natural environmentalist, Chris is the co-founder of Players for the Planet and helps oversee One Tree Planted’s sports partnerships, including the Play for Trees program.

Massimo Calvelli began serving as ATP Chief Executive Officer in January 2020. The Italian has been a highly respected sports executive in global sales, marketing, operations and product development for the past 20 years. Most recently, Calvelli was employed by Nike where he worked across multiple functions and oversaw all aspects of global tennis sports marketing. During his time at Nike, he led negotiations with many of the sport’s global icons. Previously, Calvelli was the Global Business Director for Wilson Sporting Goods.

For over twenty years Jonathan has dedicated his career to helping advance sustainability and climate action, in and through golf.

A geographer and graduate of the University of St Andrews, he led the environmental team at Scottish Golf before founding GEO in 2006.

He advises some of golf’s leading associations, tours and tournaments including: The R&A; European Tour Group; Ryder Cup; LPGA; Ladies European Tour; and Olympic Golf. Also advocating widely at events and through media; and helping represent golf in the mainstream sustainability movement amongst governments, NGO’s and businesses.

In addition, Jonathan has led the Foundation to become the only body in sport to meet the rigorous ISEAL Alliance ‘Code Compliance’ for sustainability standards, certification and reporting systems, joining peer groups such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Forest Stewardship Council and Marine Stewardship Council.

Jonathan is a full member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, and a former Board member of the ISEAL Alliance. He lives near Edinburgh, enjoys playing and watching many sports, and spending time in the great outdoors.

Industrial engineer with more than 39 years of experience in marketing and sports marketing, senior management and strategic planning in consumer companies, mass media and sports institutions. Current marketer of the Colombian Olympic Committee and other properties of sports and athletes. manager of Acting Green Forum, Top Athlete Forum, E+V and other activities and events.

Alexandra (Aly) Criscuolo, a GreenBiz 30 Under 30 recipient, is determined to make sports and organizations more sustainable. She was appointed as the first Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Director at New York Road Runners (a UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Signatory), where she develops and implements sustainability strategy for the world’s largest marathon, 50+ annual races, and multiple facilities. Previously, she worked at Kickstarter as the organization’s in-house Environmental Impact Consultant and General Electric in the environmental risk and energy project finance space. Alexandra has an MBA in Sustainability from Bard College and a BS degree in Finance from Fairfield University with minors in Environmental Studies and Spanish. She was a Division I swimmer and enjoys competing in road races and triathlons.

David is an internationally renowned specialist on sustainability in sport and global mega-events. For the last ten years he has been providing strategic and technical support to leading sports, entertainment and event businesses, including the International Olympic Committee, English Premier League, World Rugby, Lawn Tennis Association, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Formula 1, World Economic Forum, The Economist Group and Smyle.

Previously, he led the award-winning sustainability programme of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, widely recognised as the most sustainable Games in modern times, and which pioneered many of the key processes, methods and standards that have become sustainability best practice in the event sector.

Dale Vince has led a remarkable life. From “enemy of the state” to “green energy tycoon” he has dedicated his life to challenging conventional wisdom in pursuit of a better way to live.

As a traveller Vince was an outlaw, living a decade outside of society, on the road and off the grid in constant tension with the police. After an epiphany in the 90s, he ‘dropped back in’ to build a big windmill on the hill he parked on and from there, went on to start the world’s first green energy company, Ecotricity.

Dale kickstarted the now-global green energy movement using the goals and values he developed on the road to bring green energy into the mainstream. He pioneered the electric car, built the Electric Highway to power them and runs Forest Green Rovers – the word’s first green football club. Created diamonds out of carbon in the sky. Most recently he launched a new range vegan burgers. His whole life has been a strive for change and the result of a questioning mind that doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

He is the UN Ambassador for Climate Change.

Energy, Transport and Food – these are the pillars of his manifesto for a better world and in his first book, Manifesto, Vince explores what must be done to turn the tide on climate change, drawing on his personal experience as a self-professed eco-nut. It’s a manifesto of hope, backed up by solutions from someone with real life experience of disrupting the energy industry and paving the way to a greener planet.

Jamie Farndale is a current international rugby captain, leading Scotland Sevens on the HSBC World Sevens Series. He has played professionally for eleven years. Jamie was awarded the University Medal for highest grades in Business Management at Edinburgh Napier where he studied alongside playing. He focussed on Business Sustainability Strategies and has recently begun a Masters in Sustainability Leadership at Cambridge University.

Jamie has spent the last year delving into Sustainability in Sport. He co-wrote an open letter signed by hundreds of professional players urging World Rugby to take a leadership role in sustainability. He has since had involvement with World Rugby who since unveiled their ambitious 2030 Environmental Sustainability Plan. He was also involved as an athlete ambassador with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games whose aim was to be the most sustainable games ever. He is working on other projects within sport looking at a strategic approach to achieving sustainability.

Anne is passionate about sustainability. She has an educational and professional background in creating strategy for and implementing sustainability initiatives in the non-profit, chemical, and energy sectors. Anne’s other big passion is sport. By pursuing her Ph.D. in sport and sustainability at Texas A&M University, she combines her two loves with the goal of helping sport organizations and events make strategic decisions for sustainable development. Anne is part of the Sustainability in Sport Lab at Texas A&M University, Sport Ecology Group, and the German think tank sportainable.

Brian McCullough, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Sport Management and the Director of the Center for Sport Management Research and Education at Texas A&M University.

His research focuses on the environmental impacts of sport, organizational strategy and decision making, and stakeholder engagement campaigns.

He has written over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters, edited two books, authored one book, and presented his research over 130 times to national and international audiences. In addition, Dr. McCullough assisted in the United Nation’s Sport for Climate Action Framework and is the Director of the Sustainability in Sport Lab at Texas A&M and the Co-Director of the Sport Ecology Group.

After a successful career in sports marketing communications and advertising sales, Lew Blaustein became passionate about the environment and climate change as a patriotic reaction to the 9/11 attacks. He turned that passion into a successful career as a sustainability-focused marketing, communications and business development consultant helping a myriad of businesses and nonprofits build their green brands since 2005.

Blaustein married his passion for sports and the environment with the launch of GreenSportsBlog in 2013. Since then, it has become a must-read for the Green-Sports community. Its average monthly audience of 12,000 includes commissioners, team and league executives, sustainability leaders, eco-athletes and more.

Convinced that the sports world needs to do more to fight climate change, Blaustein launched EcoAthletes in April 2020 with the mission to “inspire and coach athletes to take and lead climate action”.  Since then, the nonprofit has built a global community of climate-active EcoAthletes Champions — as of today, the organization has welcomed 84 Champions, from Olympic gold medalists to NFL and major league baseball players and more. The organization provides the Champions with the tools — Community, Social Media Content, Coaching, Thought Leadership Opportunities and Sponsorship Connections to Climate Active Brands — to grow from “climate curious” to “climate leader”.

Mark joined The FA in March 2016. Prior to joining The FA, Mark held senior finance roles with BSkyB, Virgin Mobile, the Iglo Group and most recently he was the Group CFO for Virgin Active. Mark qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC.

Christian Stamm is an international sustainability professional currently overseeing FIFA’s climate work and the sustainability programme for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand. Since joining FIFA in 2008, he has been developing and implementing measures to strengthen, expand, report on, and communicate FIFA’s approach to sustainability. Prior to this, he worked on development and educational projects in Europe and Africa. His academic background is in environmental protection and marine biology.

Dr. Allen Hershkowitz is the official Sustainability Advisor to the NBA Green program and also serves as Environmental Science Advisor to the New York Yankees and to Major League Soccer, the first person to hold any of those positions. Working with former MLB Commissioner Allan “Bud” Selig, former NBA Commissioner David Stern, and with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Hershkowitz created the environmental programs at Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL. He also created the sustainability program at Major League Soccer and continues to serve as the sustainability advisor to that league. In 2008, at the request of Billie Jean King, he created the environmental program for the USTA.

In 2015 Sports Business Journal listed him as one of the “50 Most Influential People in Sports Business,” and in 2016 Worth magazine listed him as one of “The 60 Most Powerful People in Sports”. According to Green Sports Blog: “It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Hershkowitz is the most consequential environmentalist in the history of North American sports,” and Yoga + Joyful Living magazine labeled him “The Godfather of Greening”. According to Greenwire, he “has long been among the most visible activists in the nation.” In 2022 Dr. Hershkowitz was listed by Sports Business Journal among its short list of “Executives To Know in Sports Sustainability.”

Dr. Hershkowitz is widely acknowledged to have created the movement to leverage sports to promote sustainability and, as the world faces its greatest climate emergency, he serves on the Steering Committee of UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action Framework. He led the effort to create the US-based Green Sports Alliance as well as Sport and Sustainability International, based in Switzerland. He also created the environmental program for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscars telecasts, as well as the environmental program for the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY Awards.

Dr. Allen Hershkowitz is an environmental scientist, visionary, activist, writer, lecturer and strategic sustainability advisor. For 26 years (1988 – 2016) he served as a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and was the force behind some of the organization’s most effective and visible initiatives. Blending technical expertise with the influence of iconic cultural sectors, Dr. Hershkowitz leverages the cultural and market influence of sports and entertainment

Barbara leads the Sustainability programmes of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), covering all projects related to gender equality and environmental sustainability in motor sport. She co-developed the FIA Environmental Strategy 2020-2030 and is in charge of its implementation across the federation, its members and championships.

She has 6+ years’ experience in Sustainable Development and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science, recently becoming alumni of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Jaime joined World Rugby (then known as the International Rugby Board) in 2008, initially working on the successful campaign to secure rugby’s return to the Olympic Programme in 2009 before focussing in on support for World Rugby’s development and international relations activities with a diverse range of stakeholders across the rugby, Olympic and international sporting movements.

In 2021, he coordinated the development of the World Rugby Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030. Launched in January 2022, the ESP2030 is an ambitious plan and roadmap for the sport, setting out how World Rugby will reduce the climate impact of its activities while increasing awareness of the need for all stakeholders to act to ensure the sustainability of our sport.

He has worked on various projects including maximising the sport’s Olympic reinclusion through Olympic Solidarity engagement, the management of rugby for development initiatives and partnerships (including ChildFund Rugby, the UN World Food Programme, SOS Kit Aid, World Wheelchair Rugby, International Gay Rugby amongst others), and the activation and management of the Spirit of Rugby programme in 2016.

Prior to joining World Rugby, having graduated from university in Ireland, he worked in Sydney in the New South Wales Cabinet Office in the run-up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, followed by a position in London working for a leading event agency delivering live events for a range of multinational clients across Europe, Asia and North America.
A native of Dublin, his well-worn rugby boots have been passed to the next generation but he still enjoys his sport, helping out with coaching, keeping the bees happy in his garden, and getting out and about into nature whenever time allows.

Katerina has joined the carbon markets in 2011 and is currently holding a position of Commercial Director, servicing Vertis clients in voluntary carbon offsetting, renewable energy certificates trading, sustainability advisory, carbon policy and other carbon related topics. Katerina is responsible for overlooking structured derivatives transactions and throughout her career advised and successfully concluded on carbon hedging strategies and transactions with hundreds of large industrial and aviation clients. Katerina holds a diploma in Economics and a Masters in Finance from CEU Business School.

Stian Køhn Berget graduated BI Norwegian Business School holding an MSc in Business, and also holds a BSc in Business Administration and Economics from Oslo Metropolitan University. Majoring his MSc in strategy, he concentrated his studies on sustainable business models and business strategy, completing his studies with a dissertation focusing on sustainable business models, sustainable value creation, circular economy and implications of green washing. He joined Vertis Environmental Finance upon his graduation summer of 2021 and currently works as a Carbon and EAC Associate Trader.

Julie is an experienced sustainability professional with a particular focus on challenging strategies, management and strategic social, environmental, economic and ethical advice for a wide variety of international projects. She has led teams in several offices and oversees initiatives in other areas where innovative solutions are provided to resolve particularly challenging strategies and projects. She has worked on numerous projects abroad including in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Oceania, North America, South America and the Bahamas.

Julie has worked, and continues to work, on a series of high-profile and complex bespoke corporate strategies, as well as more specialised research-focused projects, where her ability to protect and enhance a strategy or policy as well as co-ordinate and review a wide range of technical inputs linked to an aptitude to both lead and manage multi-disciplinary teams, has promoted and then successfully delivered such projects.

Julie has facilitated workshops and been invited as a guest speaker at international conferences and has facilitated strategic meetings with government officials, NGOs and opinion formers. She works as an existing relationship manager with UN Agencies and has a thorough understanding of how societies and their institutions, economies and environments interact to influence sustainable development and the adaptability of livelihoods and communities to both environmental and political change.

Julie has a particular focus on leading the delivery of net zero strategies within highly complex environments and organisations.

Lee is a Senior Manager with WM’s Advisory Services team and oversees the Sports and Entertainment Division that implements a diverse portfolio of sustainability programs at leagues, stadiums, and events, along with customers across other industries. With over a decade of experience in sustainable business management solutions, Lee helps major sports organizations and Fortune 500 companies develop comprehensive environmental programs and sustainable supply chains.

His recent work experience includes sustainability strategy development, greenhouse gas inventory and mitigation plan management, SBTi, impact benchmarking, zero waste validations, material minimization and diversion efficiency initiatives, sustainability certifications, video production, CDP and DJSI reporting, stakeholder engagement campaigns, environmental justice, purpose-driven sponsorships, environmental marketing, and corporate reporting.

Prior to working for WM, Lee received an MA in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies with a focus on energy and climate change. Hailing from Boston, he holds a BA in Psychology and Chinese from Bates College. Lee is also a WELL AP, LEED AP, and TRUE Advisor.



Lucy Shea is our Group CEO. A firm believer in the power of business to create change, she advises Fortune 500 companies on how to unlock the value of sustainability for their business and brand. her particular expertise is where the business of fashion and sustainability intersect. Lucy has long experience in persuading people to take up sustainable lifestyles. She radically reimagined garment recycling with the creation of our Swishing campaign and was a founder member of the UN’s Sustainable Lifestyles Taskforce, when she authored Communicating Sustainability, today one of the UN’s most read reports. In 2014, she joined the Global Organising Committee of Fashion Revolution and is now a Trustee. She serves on the Steering Committee of the UNFCCC’s Fashion Charter.

Hannah is currently Vice President of Club Operations at Liverpool Football Club. A chartered accountant with 15 years’ experience, Hannah joined LFC in 2011 and previously held the role of Head of Financial Planning and Analysis before making the move into Operations. Hannah is responsible for Club wide operations including Capital Projects, Procurement, Sustainable Operations, Facilities Management, Health & Safety and Strategy Management. Hannah also sits on the Finance Committee of Women in Football, a post she has held since August 2020.

Jeremy Casebeer is a professional beach volleyball player working to use his platform in sport to scale social and environmental impact. He is the Project Manager for the AVP Tour and Waste Management (WM) Climate Action Plan, he is an ambassador for Parley for the Oceans and the Forest Stewardship Council, focuses his sponsorships as an athlete on sustainable brands that share his values, and is on the Board of Players for the Planet and AVP First.

Dave Lockwood is BBC Sport’s first Editorial Lead for Sustainability, a role responsible for increasing BBC’s audiences engagement and understanding of Environmental issues through sport. Recent projects include: Publication of Premier League Sustainability Tables in partnership with Sport Positive Summit and “Sport 2050” which looked at possible climate impacts on sport 3 decades from now, as well as efforts going on in the here and now to avert them. Prior to this Dave has 25 years experience in the industry, most recently as a Senior Producer with BBC Sport and before that as a Journalist working for BBC News, ITV News and Freelance.

Susie is one of the world’s leading proponents of sustainability in sport. She started her career in marine and coastal resource management and since 2001, has brought this experience to the sport’s sector. She has been involved in establishing and delivering sustainability programmes across sport namely carrying out the environmental evaluation of the International and Para World Athletics, developing Liverpool Football Club’s sustainability strategy and implementation of throughout their organisation. creating Sail GP’s award winning Impact League (the first league to reward and recognise sporting prizes based on sustainable impact), and contributing to the sustainability of major events including London Olympic Games 2012, Ryder Cup 2014,  and established Land Rover BAR, Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team’s award-winning sustainability programme.

Having started life and his early career as a professional footballer, his move off the pitch saw Simon delve into the world of sustainable solutions.

Simon joined Veolia 14 years ago, where he has worked in a variety of commercial roles before beginning his current expanded position as Commercial Business Development Director in April 2023. As well as the commercial sales and account management teams, he also has responsibility for customer experience and innovation, supporting the delivery of sustainable solutions to Veolia’s commercial portfolio. Simon’s teams support Veolia’s 60,000+ UK customer base.

Simon is committed to driving sustainable innovation and partnering with customers to reduce their carbon footprint, alongside developing circular projects and their journey towards ecological transformation. He is a passionate supporter of creating a more sustainable sporting landscape for the future.

As Ambassador and former CEO of Forest Green Rovers Football Club, Helen has played a key role in FGR becoming “the greenest football club in the world” (FIFA), the “world’s first UN certified carbon-neutral football club*”, and first and only vegan football club. She has extensive experience in running environmentally sustainable projects, partnerships, certification programmes (organic), campaigns and events – with a previous career in the food industry.

Her aim of the day is to share some valuable insights into the behavioural change impacts EFL Community Trusts are having (and can have) on their immediate and wider community as they fulfil their new role of championing environmental sustainability.  Helen also runs the charity, Sustainability in Sport, putting Sustainability at the heart of Sport – a friend of the Summit.

*The Club is signed up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) initiative called “Climate Neutral Now”

Roger McClendon is the Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance. In his role, he leads the Alliance of international sports and stadium executives, as well as sustainability experts, to use sports as a vehicle to promote healthy, sustainability communities throughout the world

McClendon is a results-driven executive with deep global experience in the development and deployment of engineering innovation and sustainability/supply-chain management strategies for domestic and international operations.

Prior to this role, he was the first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer for Yum! Brands, Inc. Roger created corporate social responsibility strategies, global environmental policies and restaurant sustainability development standards and implemented them company-wide, making the company the second largest developer of green restaurants in the world. He ensured all brand restaurants operated efficiently and minimized environmental impact through innovation, helping the company be named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and among the Top 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine (2017). Earlier at Yum!, Roger was Senior Director YUM Global Engineering and Facilities, Restaurant Excellence for Yum Restaurants Global – A&W, KFC, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, responsible for developing the standards, strategies and tactics to ensure global quality standards, engineering standards and operational standards.

Roger has held a number of roles and board positions, including positions with the University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering, Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, Habitat for Humanity, Louisville Sports Commission, Kentucky Minority Business Council, and McClendon Institute for Learning Community Outreach Programs.

Roger’s other passion is basketball. He was a McDonald’s All-American in 1984, one of the top 25 high school basketball players in the nation and went on to be a four-year starter who closed his University of Cincinnati men’s basketball career as the No. 2 scorer, second only to Oscar Robertson at the time. He was inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.