OUR TRUSTEES

Chris became a trustee at Renewable World in 2017 and stepped in as Chair of Trustees in 2021. He has over 35 years experience in engineering and construction having started his career with Sir Robert McAlpine in 1980 and joined its in-house renewable team, which later became RES, in 1986. Chris’ roles at RES included engineering and construction management, project and commercial management, responsibility for health, safety & quality management and business leadership. During his time at RES, Chris held a number of senior positions including Group Engineering and Construction Director, HSQE Director and RES Offshore CEO. Chris retired from RES in 2015. He is a keen cyclist and took part in our bespoke cycling event, EWT, in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Steve became a trustee at Renewable World in 2019. A marketer and communicator by profession, his career has been characterized by leading organisations through intensive periods of transformation, whether it be change of ownership, new business establishment, re-branding or significant shifts in strategy. More recently Steve has utilized his leadership, commercial and communications experience to work on an independent basis with other senior leaders across a range of sectors in an executive coaching and transformation consultancy capacity. Steve is also the Chair of the Advisory Board for Pimp My Cause, a social enterprise connecting charities with marketers offering pro bono expertise.

Catherine became a trustee at Renewable World in December 2014. She is a Risk Specialist at the Prudential Regulation Authority where she is a Supervisor for large Investment Banks. Catherine is a qualified accountant and has a Masters in Business from London Business School. Before working in regulation she worked for over 20 years in Investment Banking and has been the Finance Director for the UK subsidiary of a large European bank. Catherine has been involved in fund raising campaigns for Oxford University, London Business School and Ace Africa.

Neil joined Renewable World as a trustee in 2017 and took over as Chair from Stephen Balint in 2019, stepping down in 2021. Neil has an Engineering Degree from Cambridge University and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.  He has nearly 40 years’ experience of consultancy in the power sector. He was Managing Director of PPA Energy for nearly 18 years until the company was sold in 2014.  Neil has advised governments, utilities, regulators, and the private sector on issues related to the restructuring, regulation, long term planning and pricing of electricity across Africa. He has worked for multilateral lending agencies including the World Bank and is the author of a number of technical papers.

Diana became a Renewable World trustee in 2020.  She is a partner in the international law firm HFW and specialises in energy, advising government and private sector clients across the world.  Much of her recent work has been in Africa and the Middle East. Diana has been a member of HFW’s Community Investment Committee since its inception in 2008 and has chaired the Committee since 2016.  Working with HFW’s Corporate Social Responsibility team, Diana has implemented a strategy of building partnerships with charities operating in the firm’s specialist sectors.  As part of this strategy, HFW’s Energy and Resources and Construction groups formed a partnership with Renewable World three years ago.  The partnership has included HFW offering pro bono and financial support, as well as hosting the 2018 Ten Year Impact Report Launch in 2018 and entering a team for the Earth Wind and Tyre cycling event in 2019.  Diana has an MA in Law from Cambridge University.

Lata joined Renewable World as a trustee in 2020. She has an MA in Social Policy and an MSc in Social Research from Middlesex University. She worked for 5 years as a manager in the social care sector in London before moving to Nepal, where she was based with Renewable World for a further 5 years. She began as a project manager, before moving on to become the Nepal programme manager. In 2017 she returned to the UK and is currently the Programmes Manager with International Nepal Fellowship – UK.  She has accumulated extensive experience in programme development and delivery, monitoring and evaluation. Through travels to project sites across Nepal she has a rich understanding of development needs at the grassroots with a focus on social inclusion, gender equality and health service provision to the most marginalised communities in the country.

Carolina became a Trustee at Renewable World in 2021. She is a sustainability professional, having worked in the infrastructure and energy sectors for more than 20 years. She has extensive experience in the renewables sector and used to run her own independent advisory company. Currently, she is the Senior Lead on Environment & Climate Change at gas distribution company SGN. Her responsibilities encompass everything environmental from environmental management and upholding the organisation’s ISO14001 standard, to reducing carbon emissions and improving environmental impacts. She is a keen cyclist and is looking forward to taking part in Renewable World’s main fundraising event Earth, Wind & Tyre! Carolina has an MSc in Engineering as well as a Masters in Sustainability and Responsibility from Ashridge Business School.

Richard became a trustee at Renewable World in November 2021.  Recently retired, he has 25 years experience working in international development with a focus on Africa.  His most recent roles were as a senior civil servant in DFID (now FCDO), including as head of its Africa Regional Department with a portfolio of programmes worth some £1 billion.  Richard spent three years at the African Development Bank as the UK Executive Director helping to drive reform.  He has also worked on programmes in South and Central Asia and Eastern Europe.  Richard began his career in the research division of the House of Commons, providing authoritative analysis to MPs of all parties.   He has a first degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Responsibility from Ashridge Business School.

Emma joined Renewable World as a Trustee in December 2021 after meeting them through her role in Responsible Business at Beazley, a funding partner. She now works for BlueBay Asset Management as an Environmental, Social and Governance Analyst with a particular focus on climate change. Her background is in country risk analysis and sustainability, and she has previously worked in public and private sector organisations including the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme.