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Overview
The climate crisis has raised challenges for universities when achieving their Net Zero, climate literacy and green skills goals. Join us online on Thursday 6 February 2025 as we bring together leading experts and practical examples, delving into key steps, advice and evidence on how universities can drive urgent climate action.
You will also be able to access the recordings of all sessions after the event, including any sessions which you were unable to attend live.
Why should you attend?
This online one-day conference will provide informative, timely content from the most pertinent speakers on the topic, as well as a wide range of opportunities to network, discuss, and make connections with colleagues within the sector.
Take a look at what some of our past attendees thought:
- "I very much appreciated that there were some students presenting at the UUK sustainability conference as the future belongs to the next generation. I also appreciated some inspiring programs that supported climate literacy and transition to green jobs within the local community."
- "This is a great conference to hear what's live and emerging on sustainability in HE, and make some useful contacts."
- "I started the day feeling a little disillusioned with the lack of interest in the climate emergency and sustainability I am experiencing. I ended the day feeling positive - there are people who genuinely care and are making a difference - we will gather momentum, I'm sure."
“Engaging speakers guided participants through the complexity of challenges facing UK universities research activities."
If you have any questions about this or any other of our events, please contact us at [email protected] or 020 7419 5459.
We allow delegates to cancel their bookings up to one month before the event and receive a refund. If this applies to you, please contact us at the email or phone number above.
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Agenda
Speakers

Chair: Professor Frances Corner OBE
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Frances Corner OBE is Vice Chancellor of Goldsmiths, University of London. She is the academic and administrative leader of the university and the first woman to take on the role since Goldsmiths was founded.
Previously Head of London College of Fashion and Pro Vice-Chancellor of University of the Arts London, Professor Corner has over 20 years’ experience in higher education leadership.
Professor Corner is Chair of Trustees at Maudsley Charity and Chair of the AccessHE Steering Group. She is board member for the University of London, London Higher and LAMDA. She is Council member for the All-Party Parliamentary University Group and Council member Creative UK.
In 2009, Professor Corner was awarded an OBE for services to fashion higher education and widening participation in arts education.
In 2024, Professor Corner was awarded the Freedom of City of London for services to Higher Education.

Keynote Speaker: Dr James Richardson
Acting Chief Executive, Director of Analysis and Chief Economist
Dr James Richardson has been Director of Analysis at the Climate Change Committee since July 2023.
From 2016 to July 2023, he was Chief Economist at the National Infrastructure Commission, where he led on production of the UK’s first ever National Infrastructure Assessment, an in-depth assessment of the UK’s major infrastructure needs on a 30-year time horizon. He led net zero related work for the Commission’s second National Infrastructure Assessment, due to be published 18 October 2023.
Prior to this, James was Director, Fiscal and Deputy Chief Economic Adviser at HM Treasury from July 2012 to March 2016 and Director, Public Spending and Chief Microeconomist at HM Treasury from September 2008 to July 2012.

Dr Pooja Basnett
Senior Lecturer and the Co-course Leader for Biological Sciences BSc course
Dr. Pooja Basnett is a Senior Lecturer and Co-Course Leader for the BSc Biological Sciences course at the University of Westminster. As Co-Founder of the Cavendish Living Lab, funded by the Quintin Hogg Trust, she facilitates knowledge exchange between academia, industry, and communities, mentoring students in sustainability-focused roles. Recognised for her commitment to sustainability, she received the Westminster Learning and Teaching Excellence Award in 2022 and Westminster Excellence Awards in 2024 for contributions to education, inclusion, and sustainable development. Her research focuses on developing sustainable, cost-effective bioplastics to replace conventional plastics, fostering understanding through teaching and innovation.

Hayley Bristow Grant
Programme Manager
Hayley leads the Higher and Further Education team at Salix Finance, delivering government funding for Universities and Colleges to decarbonise their estates. Hayley has worked with the public sector since 2019 and has helped several organisations on their journey to net zero. Hayley has worked with the education sector for the past two years, to accelerate the transition to low carbon heating on our campuses and increase the number of Universities successfully delivering government funded projects by sharing best practice across the sector.

Dr David Duncan
Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary
David Duncan is the University’s Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary. Prior to this, David was Registrar and Secretary at the University of York, a post he held for 8 years. Before that he was Secretary of the University of Dundee from 2001-8.
David is a graduate of the University of Aberdeen and holds a Masters degree and a PhD in history from Queen’s University, Canada.

Professor Rathna Ramanathan
Head of Central Saint Martins and Pro-Vice Chancellor
Rathna Ramanathan is a typographer, researcher and educator known for her expertise in intercultural communication, and alternative publishing practices. She is Dean of Academic Strategy and Reader in Intercultural Communication at Central Saint Martins. For the past twenty years, Rathna has headed research-led, intercultural, multi-platform graphic communication design projects, all fuelled by a love for, and life-long interest in typography and language, and a belief that communication is a fundamental human right.

Professor Robert Van de Noort CBE
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Robert Van de Noort is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, a position he has held since 2018. In this capacity, Robert is the de facto Chief Executive Officer and has general responsibility to the University governing body – the Council – for maintaining and promoting the effectiveness, efficiency and good order of the University.
An archaeologist specialised in coastal and terrestrial wetlands, Robert has undertaken research in many parts of the worlds, and has a keen interest in how climate and environmental change impact on coastal communities.

Harriet Wallace
Director Sustainability
Harriet is Director Sustainability Strategy at Imperial College, London where she is leading the Sustainable Imperial programme, one of the 9 strategic initiatives in Imperial’s Science for Humanity organisational strategy. The Sustainable Imperial programme aims to reach Net Zero for campuses by 2040, minimise wider emissions, and integrate sustainability into Imperial’s research, teaching and partnerships. Harriet previously worked in government for many years, most recently as Director International Research and Innovation at BEIS - leading on the government’s science and innovation relationship with the rest of Europe and the world and sponsoring several Public Sector Research Establishments. Before joining government, she worked at Unilever on social and environmental responsibility and their corporate brand.

Ashley Wheaton
Vice-Chancellor
Ashley joined UCEM as Principal in 2013 and has led the institution through some significant milestones during his ten-year tenure, becoming the institution’s first Vice Chancellor in December 2023. He is passionate about the transformative power of education and is proud to lead the University College of Estate Management as it strives to become the Centre of Excellence for Built Environment Education and the world’s most sustainable university. Ashley spent six years as a Non-Executive Director of BRE Group, and four years as a Trustee at Jisc, where he was also Deputy Chair. He is currently a Member of the GuildHE Executive and was appointed Chair of Young Citizens in 2023. He was awarded Honorary RICS membership in 2023. Ashley holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of London and previously held senior roles at Microsoft and InfoBasis Ltd.

Ainhoa Burgos Aguilera
Vice President for Communities
Ainhoa is the Vice President for Communities at the University of Aberdeen Student's Union for the terms 2023/24 - 24/25. As a Biology graduate with a deep-seated passion for ecology, conservation, and agricultural science, Ainhoa is dedicated to advancing sustainability and environmental stewardship in all her endeavours.
Ainhoa was honoured with the Green Impact Individual Student Leadership Award in 2023, recognising the efforts and leadership in promoting sustainable practices. A certified Carbon Literate and Biodiversity Literate individual, this complements her role as a founding member of The Secret Garden Society and as the leader of the Hedgehog-friendly campus campaign at the University of Aberdeen.
Her passion to build stronger communities motivated her to be one of the main organisers of Envirolution Aberdeen, Aberdeen’s first environmental festival in 2024, which engaged with 60 community groups and had over 1,000 attendees.
In 2024, Ainhoa had the opportunity to be a delegate at COP28 for the University of Aberdeen, where she furthered her engagement in global climate advocacy. She currently serves as a NESCAN (North East Climate Action Network) Board Member.
Ainhoa is also a freelance photographer and enjoys capturing the beauty of nature through photography.

Professor Stuart Brocklehurst
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Business Engagement and Innovation)
Stuart Brocklehurst is Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement and Innovation, leading the University’s collaboration with business and our drive to deliver innovation through our research and education. In addition, as Director of Green Futures Solutions he heads the university’s drive to translate our world leading work on climate change into practical impact.
Stuart started his career in banking, holding roles with Barclays in the UK and Africa, then as Senior Vice President for Digital Commerce at Visa International CEMEA leading the adoption of new business models and technologies. Following a period as a Partner at consultancy Carbon, Stuart joined Amadeus in support of its IPO and served as Group Communications Director after the flotation. He went on to run his own business up to its sale to the Troy Group, where he remains a board advisor.
Stuart is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, a Chartered IT Professional, a Chartered Manager, a Freeman of the City of London, and holds a degree in theology from Oxford.
He has served on numerous company boards, on the synod and Bishop’s Council of the Diocese of Exeter, as a Governor of Petroc College in North Devon and as a Leadership Fellow of Exeter Business School.
He Chairs the Exeter Science Centre Advisory Board and the Military Education Committee for Devon and Cornwall and serves on the Boards of Great South West Pan Regional Partnership, SETsquared, GW4, the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste, the South West Investment Fund’s Strategic Advisory Board and the Exeter Liveable Place Board, and on the Executive Committee of parliament’s Rural Economy Research Group and the Selection Committee for the Zayed Sustainabilty Prize.

Charlotte Winert
Environment and IMS Manager
I have been an environmental professional for over 25 years and am currently employed by the University of Sheffield as the Environment and IMS Manager. I am based in Estates and Facilities Management and manage a small team that leads on waste and recycling, lab sustainability, the department's certification to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 and biodiversity. The third edition of the University’s BAP was published in 2023 and I have been instrumental in both writing and delivering these plans. Over the last 9 years we have adapted ground maintenance activities to support biodiversity, improved the quality of our amenity space and developed additional habitat to create an external campus that we are truly proud of.

Sandra Carlisle
Head of Responsible Investment
Sandra Carlisle is Head of Responsible Investment at USS Investment Management Limited (USSIM), the principal investment manager and adviser to USS. Sandra has more than 20 years of experience in sustainable and responsible investment and has worked for three decades in the financial services industry, spanning capital markets, investment banking and investment management. Before USS, Sandra was at Jupiter Asset Management where she has been Head of Sustainability. Prior to this, Sandra spent several years as Head of Responsible Investment at leading investment managers, including HSBC Asset Management and Newton Investment Management. She spent a decade at Citigroup in various senior global capital markets and banking roles and served as a PRI board member from 2016-2018.

Graham Lewis
Chief Officer University Estates and Property
Graham is the Chief Officer University Environments and Property at Cardiff Metropolitan University, where he has responsibility for the Sustainability, Estates, Digital and Commercial Services functions.
He is a Chartered Institute of Building Client Steering Group Member and Client Champion. He brings over a quarter of a century’s experience delivering estate-related programmes, in both client and consultancy capacities.
His educational portfolio includes schools and HE institutions, ranging from a 20 year masterplan with Grade I, II* and II buildings for Oxford University, to delivering supercomputing research facilities, to on-campus transport infrastructure.
Beyond educational estates, Graham draws on his experience in operational and delivery roles leading schemes across diverse sectors including local government, healthcare, heritage, infrastructure, retail, commercial, manufacturing and aviation.
Graham’s previous roles include Head of Construction, Maintenance and FM at a local authority with a 1200 asset portfolio, and as the Head of a regional Project Management team at an international consultancy.
His focus is on navigating the competing challenges of changing and emerging needs, ageing infrastructure, diminishing funding, net zero urgency, and the impacts of the fourth industrial revolution for the benefit of future generations.

Professor Peter Oakley
Professor in Material Culture
Professor Oakley is a leading expert in material culture and Co-Lead of the Material Engagements Research Cluster at the Royal College of Art. Specialising in ethnographic, experiential, and object-based research, their academic expertise spans anthropology, creative practice, science & technology studies, and industrial heritage.
Their current research explores two key areas: developing and promoting sustainable practices within the crafts and applied arts, and investigating the extraction, refining, and assaying of metals, alongside the social, environmental, and ecological consequences of these processes, both historically and in the present day.

Jo Allatt
Head of Sustainability (Engagment and Policy)
Jo has worked and volunteered in sustainability for 20 years, previously working in Local Government specialising in environment, energy, fuel poverty and community development. Jo is currently UKRI Head of Sustainability (Policy and Engagement) and a Chartered Environmentalist. Recently Jo has played an instrumental role in bringing stakeholders together across the research and innovation sector leading the collaborative development of a new sector-wide concordat on the environmental sustainability of research practice. Jo also works on environmental policy, culture change and responsible procurement in UKRI. Jo has spoken at a number of conference and co-hosted the 2024 Green Gown award ceremony.

Chair of Roundtables: Sarah Bevan
Head of Funding Policy
The roundtable sessions will be chaired by UUK's Head of Funding Policy Sarah Bevan.
She previously worked as a researcher in UUK's Policy Group and before joining UUK in 2020 was a Senior Policy Adviser in the UK civil service.

Dr Qiao Yan Soh
Postdoctoral Researcher
Qiao Yan is a postdoctoral research associate at Imperial College London. Her research focuses on the simulation and optimisation of supply chain networks in emerging decarbonisation pathways for the steel industry.
Yan was part of the team that built the Imperial Net-Zero Carbon Calculator, a tool developed to allow Imperial College London to make meaningful progress towards its 2040 net-zero target and beyond.

Abby Whitewell
Strategic Insight and Support Manager (Secondment)
Abby manages data-based outputs and publications and coordinate work with the UUKI's network of Pro-Vice-Chancellors with a focus on internationalisation.
She has worked in higher education since 2019, both in policy and in project delivery at a widening participation charity. She has a Master's in Linguistics and, prior to working in higher education, completed a PGCE in French and taught English abroad in France, Belgium and China.
She enjoys working with a diverse range of colleagues in higher education to drive forward key policy agendas and enhance the UUKI's evidence base.
Who should attend?
This conference is essential for all staff working on sustainability and climate change within their institutions, or within student engagement roles. It will also be of interest to staff working on internationalisation and who are looking to make their processes and programmes more sustainable. However, anyone with an interest in the topic is welcome to attend. Potential relevant job titles include:
- Pro-Vice-Chancellors, International/Research
- Manager/Director/Officer for Sustainability
- Head of/Director/Officer for International
- Director/Head/Officer for Research
- Director/Head/Officer for Student Experience
- Director/Head/Officer for Estates
- Director/Head/Officer for Student Services
- Director/Head of Planning and Strategy
- Study abroad teams
Sponsorship
We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available at our events. Please contact Magda Graszka, Senior Events Manager, for more information: [email protected]