Retail Sustainability UK Conference

Alex joined the British Chambers of Commerce as Director of Policy and Insight in March 2022 and is responsible for the policy positions adopted by the Chamber network and for BCC’s research programme including the UK’s largest business survey. Prior to joining BCC, Alex was the Deputy Director – Public Policy at Logistics UK; worked as an industry secondee at HMRC/HMT; and spent several years in the rail industry in various roles in London, Paris and Brussels. Alex’s early career was in the environment sector in the USA and UK. Alex is a Chartered Member of IEMA and CMI.

Alex joined the British Chambers of Commerce as Director of Policy and Insight in March 2022 and is responsible for the policy positions adopted by the Chamber network and for BCC’s research programme including the UK’s largest business survey. Prior to joining BCC, Alex was the Deputy Director – Public Policy at Logistics UK; worked as an industry secondee at HMRC/HMT; and spent several years in the rail industry in various roles in London, Paris and Brussels. Alex’s early career was in the environment sector in the USA and UK. Alex is a Chartered Member of IEMA and CMI.

Ian O’Donnell is Deputy Chair of UK Policy for Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), a business owner and non-executive director who’s excited by and loves sharing ways that creative thinking and new technology can help businesses succeed. A business owner since school days (Real Point – a design & marketing agency) he now also serves as a non-exec for other SMEs as well as volunteering with the FSB where he also leads on Net Zero, working with leading decision makers to develop policy solutions for a better environment for SMEs to thrive. Outside of work he’s a keen runner and cyclist and an advocate of active travel.

Andrew Goodacre has been the CEO of Bira since 2018 and is passionate about working with the high street and supporting small businesses.

Mr Goodacre has a strong background in retail and hospitality, and since taking up the role, has been integral in pushing forward independent retailers and showcasing their importance of them being at the very heart of every good high street throughout the UK and a vital part of life and the economy within local communities.

He started his career in hospitality, spending 25 years working in the retail divisions of national breweries and pub companies.

Andrew was also formerly a member of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) before becoming the CEO of the Residential Landlords Association in 2013.

Benefiting from more than 25 years of experience in food and textiles, Lee is a trusted expert in sustainability, responsible business and organics who manages a range of projects for Soil Association Certification – the UK’s biggest organic certifier. By helping hundreds of businesses build capability in marketing, communications, supply chain and routes to market, Lee is part of a team at Soil Association Certification who actively support the growth of an organic market, now worth over £3bn a year.

Rob is a Partner at Brabners and leads the environmental law practice. He has expertise in a broad range of environmental issues, including contaminated land, water pollution, environmental permits, waste management, nuisance, the control of asbestos, producer responsibility, greenwashing and corporate reporting. Rob specialises in helping clients to understand what their obligations are under environmental law, how to comply with those obligations, the risks (legal, commercial and reputational) associated with non-compliance, and what to do in the case of potential non-compliance.

Rob is a member of Brabners’ retail sector group, and advises a wide variety of retail clients, including investors, asset managers, national and international chains, car dealerships, and leisure and hospitality businesses.

Rob is recommended in the Legal 500 and has been recognised as both a ‘rising star’ and a ‘next generation partner’.

Miranda Beckett is Project Manager within the Fashion Initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation – working with businesses, governments and NGOs to fundamentally rethink the way products are designed, made, and used to create a resilient and thriving fashion industry. Currently, Miranda oversees The Fashion ReModel, a demonstration project involving leading brands from across high-end, activewear, retailers, mid-range and high-street. It aims to identify solutions and unlock barriers to scale circular business models and begin to decouple revenue from production. Prior to joining the Foundation, Miranda worked in strategy and transformation roles within management consulting and NGOs.

Sophie Drake is Senior Ecommerce Manager at Never Fully Dressed, a diverse and inclusive fashion brand that encourages feel good dressing. With a passion for digital innovation and 6 years experience across e-commerce, Sophie owns the optimisation of NFD’s digital storefront to deliver a seamless and engaging shopping journey. From SEO and user experience optimisation to conversion rate optimisation, she is dedicated to maximizing online sales and growing brand loyalty.

Paul joined UKRI in 2020 as Director for the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge programme Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge, a £60 million, 5-year programme that represents the largest ever UK government investment in sustainable plastics research and innovation. He has over 20 years’ experience in the field of plastics, most recently with SABIC where he was responsible for European market development for flexible packaging resins and was active in driving forward both mechanical and chemical recycling solutions for plastics packaging. Prior to joining SABIC, Paul spent 11 years at WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) running a number of major plastics recycling programmes including the development of food grade HDPE and PP recycling capacity in the UK. Paul holds a first degree in Materials Science and Technology from Brunel University and a PhD in the processing of PET from Loughborough University.

Azucena is an industrial designer with a master’s degree in design (packaging), she joined Sheffield Hallam University in 2022 as a lecturer in packaging for the Higher Degree Apprenticeship Packaging Professional BSc. Working previously in FMCG companies such as Ferrero and Graphic Packaging International, she held roles as packaging specialist gaining extensive knowledge and experience within the R&D, manufacturing, and design areas.

Kathryn has over 12 years of experience in sustainability, spanning consulting, auditing, and in-house roles. She has worked with some of the world’s largest companies to help them manage, track, and report on their environmental and social impacts. For the past five years, Kathryn has been with Kingfisher plc. She previously led the company’s ESG reporting and engagement, and she now heads a team of technical experts. Together, they manage the ‘Planet’ pillar of Kingfisher’s Responsible Business strategy, which includes climate and nature commitments and the company’s approach to human rights.

As Founder of KinKind, with over 25 years commercial and strategic marketing and innovation experience in big FMCG companies, Victoria believes industry leaders have a responsibility to drive sustainable and conscious consumption for planet, people and profit. She is on a mission to use business as a force for good. Victoria knows there is not enough being done to drive bold change in big FMCG businesses and became increasingly frustrated at the amount of single-use plastic used in her own home, so she created KinKind to disrupt the beauty market and help mass consumers eliminate plastic from their bathrooms.

Born in the bioregion of the Brazilian Atlantic Moist Forests, Ruth grew up in a concrete jungle, witnessing first hand the destruction of the natural environment. This prompted an early interest in environmental issues, nurtured a deep love for the rainforest and fueled great passion for driving change. She considers herself a systems activist, identifying key nodal interventions in systems to support the transition to regenerative cultures. She has been co-creating Lush’s environmental strategy since 2004 and supports the business to leave the world Lusher than we found it. With a focus on communication and engagement, Ruth taps into the powerful role of brands as storytellers, bringing together strong technical experience with crafting initiatives to win hearts and minds. Ruth has a masters in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies. She is a trustee and co-founder of Re.Alliance, a collective of practitioners bringing regenerative design to the humanitarian and development sectors, a co-creator of Regenerosity, an initiative with a mission to flow resources to grassroots regenerative projects.

Julia is the Managing Director of Position Green UK, an international advisory and software company focusing solely on sustainability strategy and reporting. She has over a decade of experience in supporting companies in the retail sector to identify their impacts, develop data-driven strategies and communicate transparently about their progress. As a training partner to the British Retail Consortium, she is also regularly upskilling decision-makers in approaching sustainability with a holistic and strategic mindset.

Niamh Noone is Senior Marketing Manager at Soil Association Certification – over the past seven years she has supported organic food & drink businesses to grow by executing dynamic marketing campaigns like Organic September as well as developing messaging around the benefits of organic food and farming and leading key projects which straddle partner collaboration across the business, charity and external stakeholders. Working closely with Soil Association’s Standards and Policy teams, Niamh has helped develop impactful statements based on peer-reviewed research, and navigated the complex regulatory space around making environmental and health claims about organic.

Elysia McCaffrey is the Chief Executive of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority where she has been in post since June 2021, leading work on the prevention of labour exploitation. Elysia has worked in civil and public service roles for almost 20 years and is passionate about protecting the most vulnerable people in our society.

Alex joined the British Chambers of Commerce as Director of Policy and Insight in March 2022 and is responsible for the policy positions adopted by the Chamber network and for BCC’s research programme including the UK’s largest business survey. Prior to joining BCC, Alex was the Deputy Director – Public Policy at Logistics UK; worked as an industry secondee at HMRC/HMT; and spent several years in the rail industry in various roles in London, Paris and Brussels. Alex’s early career was in the environment sector in the USA and UK. Alex is a Chartered Member of IEMA and CMI.