Cambridge conference to focus on sustainability

7th July 2014


Sustainability is high on the IEMA agenda, with a dedicated conference due later this year, just months after the Institute's amalgamation with the Global Association of Corporate Sustainability Officers (GACSO).

Throughout last year’s Vision 2020 consultation, members were adamant that sustainability should become a key theme in IEMA’s programme of activity, delivery and influence. Taking on board that feedback for 2014’s activities, IEMA acquired GACSO in March, boosting the membership’s count of sustainability professionals, while the Institute’s inaugural conference on sustainability will be held in the autumn.

Entitled “How can IEMA professionals enable sustainable growth?”, this event will be held on Wednesday 24 September in Cambridge. The conference will provide members with the opportunity to learn about critical challenges in sustainability through an economic lens, with a focus on climate change and energy economics, natural resource dependencies, risks, externalities and the economic mega trends.

Delegates will benefit from hearing from and meeting sustainability professionals and leaders to discuss, test and develop their own solutions to leading sustainability challenges.

IEMA has secured a number of leading sustainability experts to speak at the event, which was planned by the Institute’s East of England and South East regional steering groups. Speakers and topics include:

  • Dr Alan Knight, GACSO founder and chair, and general manager, corporate responsibility, at ArcelorMittal – “Setting the scene for GACSO and IEMA – our challenge”.

  • Dr Julia Baker, biodiversity specialist at Parsons Brinckerhoff – “How numbers (not offsetting) can achieve the ideal – development with a net gain in biodiversity”.

  • Colin Braidwood, global procurement, sustainability manager at National Grid, and Ian Heptonstall, director at Action Sustainability and project director at the Supply Chain Sustainability School – “Sustainable procurement”.

  • Bekir Andrews, group sustainability manager at Balfour Beatty – “Non-financial mandatory reporting: reaping the business value from the numbers”.

  • Paul Toyne, director of sustainability at Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK, and Mat Roberts, head of sustainability at Landmarc Support Services – “The Social Value Act and its implications for public tenders”.

  • Penny Walker, sustainability professional and facilitator – “Engaging stakeholders: from firefighting to a strategic approach.”
  • Speaker TBC, Mott Macdonald – “Climate risks and dependencies: IPCC report and developments in climate change adaptation”.

Other topics to be covered at the conference, due to held at the City Hotel in Cambridge, include:

  • “Developing and building the
  • business case for sustainability”.
  • “Commercial sustainability – increasing the top line”.
  • “Ecosystems approach and biodiversity offsetting”.

The full conference timetable is set to grow further, with more names and sessions being added in July.

IEMA members can secure their seat for the special early bird rate of £120 when booking before 31 August 2014, a saving of £36 on the full rate. To book a place and to view the full conference programme of keynote speakers, workshops and networking opportunities, click here.

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

Facing the climate emergency challenge in local government

It’s well recognised that the public sector has the opportunity to work towards a national net-zero landscape that goes well beyond improving on its own performance; it can also influence through procurement and can direct through policy.

19th March 2024

Read more

Dr Julie Riggs issues a call to arms to tackle a modern-day human tragedy

15th March 2024

Read more

Disgraced environmental consultant Peter Lovebrother is another month nearer retirement…

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) strategy is based on optimistic techno-economic assumptions that are now outdated, Carbon Tracker has warned.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK’s new biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements could create 15,000 hectares of woodlands, heath, grasslands, and wetlands and absorb 650,000 tonnes of carbon each year.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s latest Public Attitudes Tracker has found broad support for efforts to tackle climate change, although there are significant concerns that bills will rise.

13th March 2024

Read more

Multinational corporations are undermining their net-zero commitments with excessive air travel and no plans to reduce ‘the low hanging fruit’ of carbon footprints, a study by Transport & Environment has found.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s climate adaptation plans are ‘inadequate’ and falling ‘far short’ of what is required, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has warned today.

13th March 2024

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close