Duncan Clark - Head of UK Region Ørsted

Duncan Clark has headed up Ørsted UK since 2019. Duncan joined Ørsted in 2012 as Programme Director in offshore wind having spent 18 years in the UK energy industry, primarily in renewables and energy storage, including senior roles at RWE and The Crown Estate.

Duncan holds a Doctorate in Materials Science and Metallurgy and is a Chartered Engineer. He is a member of the Hydrogen Advisory Council to the UK Government, and of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Energy Transition task force, currently leading the Renewables Pace workstream.

Marc Adams – UK Supply Chain Development Manager, Ørsted

Marc joined Ørsted in March 2021 to become the UK Supply Chain Development Manager with a focus on building UK supply chain capacity to support Ørsted asset projects globally.

Prior to that, Marc has over 15 years experience in enabling supply chains, supporting exports and attracting inward investment for the UK Government with a specific focus on offshore wind.
During his time as Head of Offshore Wind at The UKs Department for International Trade he played an active role in the early development of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal.

Marc is currently a member of the following industry related supply chain groups:
Renewable UK Supply Chain Group
Offshore Wind Growth Partnership Reference Group
Fit for Offshore Renewables Industry Advisory Group

Melanie Onn - Deputy Chief Executive - RenewableUK

Melanie Onn joined RenewableUK in March 2020 as Deputy Chief Executive.

Her role includes helping RenewableUK's supply chain members to grow, and developing the skilled workforce the industry needs, including opening up wider areas of the sector to more women. She also leads on public speaking and media work.

Ms Onn was elected twice as Labour MP for Great Grimsby, serving from May 2015 to November 2019, including periods as Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.

Andrew Oliver - Chairman of THMA and Partner at Andrew Jackson Solicitors LLP

Andrew is a trusted specialist in the field of marine law and commercial fisheries, both nationally and internationally. He advises on the sale, purchase and financing of vessels, licenses, fishing quota and fishing effort. Andrew also advises on marine environmental matters including pollution, environmental protection and marine spatial planning.

Andrew’s regulatory expertise and experience means he regularly advises in connection with investigations carried out by local Inshore Fisheries and Conservation authorities, MMO, MCA and various other government departments.

He has been involved in offshore energy in all forms, especially in respect of vessel sales, purchase and charters, health and safety issues, and the interaction of the renewables industry with other users of the sea.

Stephen Parnaby OBE Vice Chair, Hull and East Yorkshire LEP

Stephen is Business Development Director at Wren Kitchens, where he has overseen the major expansion at its Barton site – doubling operations and creating 1,200 jobs.

He has also successfully created and developed a range of businesses from scratch – founding Cottingham Caravan Storage, with over 400 caravans onsite, while also operating and managing petrol filling stations in Hull, the East Riding and North Lincolnshire; setting up and running an intensive livestock business producing free-range eggs and supplying 1.5 million eggs to the retail market annually; and overseeing commercial, residential and holiday accommodation as landlord.

He was Leader of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council from its inception in 1996 until May 2019. Awarded OBE in 2008 for services to Local Government.
Previously Chair of Humber LEP 2020 - 2021

Andy Reay - Associated British Ports - Group Head of Commercial (Offshore Wind)

Andy Reay became ABP Head of Offshore Wind in October 2020. Prior to joining ABP, he held the role of Business Unit Manager at the DEME Group and has worked in Offshore Wind for the past 9 years. Andy has over 20 years of experience across sectors including power generation, oil & gas and chemicals. Andy is a former member of the Renewables UK Board and is now a member of the Aura Advisory Board established to deliver offshore wind sector development based around the Humber region.

Andrew Elmes – Head of Business Development, UK&I - Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

Andrew represents Siemens Gamesa Offshore in UK and Ireland.

From a first career as a military engineer, Andrew joined Siemens Wind Power in 2007, project managing UK onshore windfarms as well as establishing the first UK project and construction teams.

After a brief emigration to Australia, he returned to Siemens in 2015 to manage the port and preassembly development for Siemens Gamesa’s flagship Port of Hull facility. He then led the wind turbine team to deliver Scottish Power’s East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm, on a project that saw the first scale deployment of 66kV electrical design, as well as completing through the outbreak of the CV-19 pandemic.

Andrew lives in Surrey with his wife and 2 young sons.

Graham Wright - Supply Chain Plan Mgr (Sofia) at RWE Renewables

Graham has 15 years working within the Offshore Wind Sector and is currently working for RWE as a Supply Chain Manager covering the live Sofia project in supply chain management along with supporting RWE’s future pipeline of work.

He was previously employed by MPI Offshore Ltd (Installation contractor) and Saipem Ltd (EPCI Contractor), occupying a wide spectrum of roles within the firms, ranging from Procurement, Proposals Management, 3rd Party Tendering, Marine Logistics and Project Management and has been involved in the construction of numerous offshore wind farms both in the UK and North Western Europe, supporting renowned energy clients like Centrica, Vattenfall and E.on in achieving their project construction goals.

Katharine York - Chair, Grimsby Renewable Partnership and ORE Catapult, OMCE Manager

Katharine chairs the Grimsby Renewables Partnership, a members’ organisation connecting the offshore wind industry with the local supply chain and community of Grimsby and the wider Humber region. She moved to the area in 2012, to take up a role in the operations and maintenance of what at the time were the only wind farms operated from Grimsby. Since then the industry has grown rapidly, with still more exciting growth to come. Her years in the industry have given her inside knowledge of what life is like for both owner-operators and OEMs, and an understanding of the practical difficulties for SMEs attempting to engage with the sector. In 2020 she moved to a role with ORE Catapult, to set up the Operations & Maintenance Centre of Excellence at the heart of the UK’s largest offshore wind O&M hub.

Lorna Wagner - Programme Manager (Careers and Outreach) - Maritime UK

Lorna joined Maritime UK from an FE College in Eastleigh in Hampshire where she managed the support services for six years including being the Careers Leader. Eastleigh was the first Technical and Professional College in the County to achieve the coveted Quality in Careers Standard under her tenure. She is a qualified careers adviser and a passionate advocate for helping people reach their potential through successful and satisfying careers.

As the Programme Manager (Careers and Outreach) she has responsibility for leading the careers activity of Maritime UK, working with employers and educators to promote the many exciting opportunities in the sector. She will be driving forward the programme of activity and supporting resources in a collaborative and coordinated way sharing best practice from around the regions. She is very much looking forward to actualising the outreach part of the role, visiting the regions, and seeing first-hand what activities are working best around the Country.
Lorna is based at Solent LEP in Portsmouth.
Update:

Ten months into the role Lorna has developed the national careers programme and published the strategic plan. We have established a careers professionals' network with over 270 members (nationwide) and an Industry Ambassadors network of over 100 maritime people, who have delivered maritime careers information to over 11,000 children!

The programme is gaining momentum and support from the sector, and a good level of interest form educators with outreach work happening in primary, secondary, FE and Universities. This would not be possible without the active participation from Industry professionals, and her presentation will focus on the careers programme and skills, as well as how Humber based maritime businesses can get involved in the programme.

Pat Doody - Chair - Greater Lincolnshire LEP

Pat Doody was appointed Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership in March 2020, having worked most recently as Area Director for NatWest Commercial Banking in Lincoln.

In this role he oversaw a team focusing on many of the sectors key to the Greater Lincolnshire economy such as manufacturing and technology, visitor economy, healthcare, agriculture and logistics.

Pat maintains an interest in education: he was formerly Vice-Chair of the Lincoln College Group and is an advisory board member of the University of Lincoln International Business School.
He enjoys walking, cycling and Welsh rugby and is a keen follower of Lincoln City FC whose recent successes mirror Greater Lincolnshire’s growing ambitions. A passion for, and a belief in, what Greater Lincolnshire can achieve through its strong partnerships make this a highly rewarding role for Pat.

Lauren Little - Stakeholder Advisor for for Ørsted in Grimsby

Lauren Little is a Stakeholder Advisor for Ørsted in Grimsby and engages with key stakeholders about the transformational impact that the offshore wind industry is having on the town of Grimsby and the wider Humber region.

Ørsted currently operate 4 offshore wind farms from the East Coast Hub in Grimsby and are currently constructing the world’s largest offshore wind farm; Hornsea Two. Raising awareness of opportunities, inspiring young people into offshore wind careers and communication with businesses, local government, membership organisations and education are big parts of her daily work.

Most recently Lauren supported the development of the Humber Offshore Wind Cluster prospectus and the £1million investment into the Youth Zone in Grimsby.

Len Taylor - Northern Powerhouse Sector Specialist Offshore Wind and Renewables

Len Taylor - Northern Powerhouse Sector Specialist Offshore Wind and Renewables

Len has over 15+ years’ experience in the energy sector covering all aspects from offshore wind, biomass/biofuels, through to CCUS, and more latterly with hydrogen. He has held very senior roles during that time with many major companies such as AMEC, DONG Energy (now Orsted), and Whessoe Engineering (part of Samsung C&T).

Having had the experience of perspectives from the owner operator side as well as the major EPC side he has a unique experience with the very broad experience in the energy sector coupled with considerable international experience building up business in India, Malaysia, China, Bahrain and Libya.

Emma Toulson – Lead Stakeholder Advisor, UK, Ørsted

Emma Toulson is the Lead Stakeholder Advisor for Ørsted in the UK. Working predominantly in the regions where Ørsted are developing, constructing or operating projects, she leads on engagement with regional and local government, skills, the supply chain and local communities.

Emma was a key contributor to the Offshore Wind Sector Deal leading on the ‘Place: Clusters’ element which aims to grow existing clusters and create more opportunities for investment and growth in regional economies across the UK.

Prior to joining Ørsted Emma worked for the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership as Sector Development Manager on secondment from WSP engineering consultancy. She was awarded the 2019 “Humber Renewables Champion Award” for her work over the years on the development of the Humber Energy Estuary.

Ben George - General Manager - Humber

Ben is responsible for ORE Catapult’s activity in the Humber region. His primary mission is to build UK PLC content in the offshore renewables supply chain through bringing a sharp focus onto Operations and Maintenance (O&M) and establishing the national Centre of Excellence in Grimsby – building on the Catapult’s existing expertise and portfolio of O&M support.

Joining the Catapult team in 2019, Ben came from leading the Aura low carbon energy programme at the University of Hull. Before moving into renewables, Ben worked in military aviation in both Australia and the UK where he was involved in operations, training, capability development, programme management and technology development.

Richard Hall - Partner within the ESG Consulting Team at RSM UK and UK Head of Sustainability

Rich is a Partner within the ESG Consulting team at RSM and UK Head of Sustainability. He leads ESG and Sustainability projects across Strategy, Supply Chain, Risk, Performance, Governance, and Reporting & Assurance with sector experience spanning Construction through to Retail, including Energy and Offshore Wind.

Having specialised in ESG and Sustainability for many years, working across the globe and supporting everything from start-ups to Government Departments and International Brands, Rich will see a renewed focus on clients within the Offshore Wind capitals of the North East, Lincs and his home region of East Yorkshire in his recent move to RSM.

Neil Gordon - Chief Executive of the Global Underwater Hub

Neil Gordon is chief executive of the Global Underwater Hub (GUH) – an organisation playing a key role in the most far-reaching transformation of the UK energy industry. A seasoned and well-respected industry leader, Neil has more than thirty years’ management experience in director and business development roles including more two decades working in the subsea industry.

Since his appointment as CEO of Subsea UK in 2011, Neil has played a leading role in discussions with industry stakeholders, Government ministers and departments about the future of the subsea industry and the support required to maintain its world-leading reputation. He’s also played a significant role in leading the transition of the UK subsea industry to become recognised as a stand-alone industry operating in diverse range of sectors including oil and gas, offshore wind, marine renewables, defence, ocean science, subsea mining and aquaculture. In 2021, Neil successfully launched the Global Underwater Hub in 2021, a new strategically focused, intelligence-led organisation that will transform the UK’s underwater industry into one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the country.

Neil’s early career gained him rich and varied experience in managing and developing business in India, the Middle East and Brazil. A former commercial diver, he went on to become the General Manager of the National Hyperbaric Centre where he developed the business streams, including; diving research and trials, hyperbaric testing, and saturation diving operations.

Having held several board positions, Neil is currently a Director of OPITO and the Offshore Training Foundation and a member of the OGA Supply Chain and Exports Task Group.

Iain Elliott - Chief Executive - HETA

Iain joined HETA in July 2014 as Chief Executive and is focused on developing the business and shaping the future of HETA.

Iain grew up in East Yorkshire and then served in the British Army. His career has consisted of working in Media and Information companies and latterly Further Education.

He began working in regional newspapers in Hertfordshire and Sussex moving across into trade magazine publishing. Before moving into education, Iain worked for the Press Association in London and East Yorkshire.

He changed career in 2003 when he took up a post in Further Education at colleges in Oxford and London and then moved onto HETA in 2014.

“I am passionate about vocational education and the impact it can have on the lives of young people and those already employed. The attraction of working for HETA comes from a desire to promote the high quality education and training that the company is renowned for combined with a strong sense of contributing to the Humberside region achieving long term economic prosperity”

Tony Preston - UK Department for International Trade’s Director for Clean Growth and Energy Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean

Tony Preston arrived in Rio De Janeiro in January 2020 to take up the roles of Deputy Consul-General and Deputy Director for Trade and Investment in Brazil. He is also the UK Department for International Trade’s Director for Clean Growth and Energy Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean. Tony has previously undertaken diplomatic postings in Indonesia, Japan and Myanmar.

Laura Botham - HR Partner - Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

Laura Botham has been in post as a HR Partner at Siemens Gamesa, Hull Blade Factory since 2018. Prior to this she was a People Services Manager for Greencore Group UK.

Laura was born in Hull and is particularly passionate about working for a renewable energy leader in the centre of Hull. As an alumni of the University of Hull, Laura knows the importance of flying the flag for talent and education in the local area. Having been a member of the Humber LEP Skills and Employment Sub-Group for the last year, where only by focusing on reducing the skills shortages and gaps in the region can we create a true pipeline of talent. She also works closely with Ron Dearing UTC and the Humber Wind Cluster People & Skills Group, where she works alongside similar industries and education providers to raise productivity in Hull and East Yorkshire by facilitating a fully functioning local labour market; alongside creating a labour market with the right skills needed in the renewable energy sector.

Jamie Robertson - Managing Director - Holderness Fishing Industry Group

Jamie began his career at sea as a deck hand on-board a commercial fishing vessel working in the North Sea off the Holderness coast, primarily fishing for Crab, Lobster and Whelks this is where he learned the trade and what it was like to be a shell fisherman.

in 2002 Jamie left the fishing industry and moved into the offshore sector, after a short period crewing on a semi-submersible drilling rig he accepted a position working on an emergency rescue and response vessel as rescue boat coxswain. Jamie progressed into the position of Bosun and gained vital skills in crew management and health and safety.

In 2013 Jamie started employment at the Holderness Fishing Industry Group (HFIG) as Marine operations manager and skipper of the RV Huntress, in 2018 Jamie accepted the position of Managing Director and now leads the team and has overall responsibility for HFIG and the groups commercial arm Marine Scientific Services Ltd.

Yvonne Dusabe - Senior Trade Advisor, Northern Powerhouse |Africa

Based in Johannesburg, Yvonne Dusabe is Senior Trade Advisor - Northern Powerhouse - Africa.

Mandy Masters - Business Development Manager - Windcat Worboats

Mandy is Business Development Manager at Windcat Workboats Ltd, one of the largest crew transfer operators in the offshore wind industry. She entered the industry over 11 years ago as CDM Coordinator (Construction Design Management) and holds both Bosiet and GWO certs which has enabled her to visit many offshore wind farms across Europe. She has been working in the renewable energy sector for 16 years, starting in onshore construction so equipped with the industry knowledge Mandy can offer a significant amount of relevant advice and guidance. Her current focus is to reduce operational cost whilst lowering carbon impact so is now heavily involved in Windcat’s new Hydrocat – the World’s first Hydrogen CTV.

Ben Murray - Chief Executive - Maritime UK

Ben joined Maritime UK from a political consultancy. Prior to this he worked for the Labour Party as a campaign manager and ran the Labour deputy leadership campaign of Angela Eagle MP. He studied Politics at the University of Warwick and East Asian studies at City University of Hong Kong. Ben is a director of a digital communications agency.

He has responsibility for coordinating and leading the activity of Maritime UK, working with the National Council to implement its strategic plan including coordination and delivery of industry recommendations within Maritime 2050.

Ben is based at 30 Park Street in London.

Camilla Carlbom Flinn, DL. - Chairman - Carlbom Shipping Limited

With a BA in International Business Management, and an MA in Broadcast Journalism, Camilla worked in Paris, London, and New York, before returning to the Humber and the Shipping sector in 2008.
Camilla was appointed Chairman of Carlbom Shipping Ltd, the family ships agency in Immingham. Following family tradition, she became Hon. Consul for Sweden, Hon. Consul for Finland, Chairman of the Humber Chapter of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, and Council Member of the Swedish Chamber in London; actively promoting business and cultural connections across the North Sea, and within business in the Humber.

Camilla is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Lincolnshire, and is equally passionate about Lincoln Cathedral, the English Speaking Union, International Bomber Command Centre, the Danish Church in Hull: as well as her roles with the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce, as a Director of Team Humber Marine Alliance; and became the first woman elected onto the Federation Council of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in London.