Mike Wilton

Director, Leader of Manchester Office
Arup

Mike Wilton is the Chair of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership. The Partnership is a group of public and private sectors organisations committed to action to limit the impact of climate change and create a healthy, green, socially just city where everyone can thrive. Members of the partnership include the City Council, Manchester’s universities, voluntary and community groups, NHS and housing bodies, and major businesses in the city. He also a Board Member of the North West Business Leadership Team, a group of business leaders working to lead, inspire and harness the power of business to help deliver sustainable prosperity for the North West of England.

Mike is also a Director of Arup, one of the UK’s largest employee-owned business, providing design, planning and advisory services to clients in the Built and Natural Environments, and leads Arup’s 400 strong Manchester office. His projects in the city have including the regeneration of St Peter’s Square, enhancements to the Didsbury flood basin, and brownfield regeneration for the Etihad Campus, First Street, and currently Victoria North.

Nigel Rawlings

CEO
Rise Homes Ltd

Nigel has acted as a Director for several fully listed property and construction Groups including The Westbury Property Fund and Assura PLC. He formed Rise Homes (formerly Housing Capital Property) and its residential property business in 2012. Rise Homes has specialised in the development of sustainable residential property all for rent and has developed over 900 houses and apartments across six schemes in the North of England and has developed five biomass district heating systems. Its Tribe Apartments scheme completed in 2015 won the prestigious global award for a residential scheme from BREEAM. Rise Homes is a subsidiary of the British Strategic Investment Fund.

Jo Holden

Sustainability Director
Peel L&P

Jo is a chartered environmentalist and leads on all aspects of sustainability for Peel L&P which holds 20,000 acres of land and a £2.6 billion diverse property portfolio across the UK. In 2019 Jo published Peel L&P’s first Sustainability Five Year Plan, based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and recently helped the business to achieve net zero carbon status for 11 buildings.

Firmly believing in a collaborative approach to deliver sustainable outcomes, Jo works with the Doncaster Climate Change Commission and Local Nature Partnerships in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Liverpool, helping the latter to develop an ecosystem services-led natural capital baseline last year.

Before joining Peel in 2016, Jo worked for the Environment Agency and prior to that managed global sustainable procurement issues for a large DIY retailer.

Lord Deben

Chairman
The Climate Change Committee

Lord Deben joined the House of Lords as a life peer in 2010. He is currently the Chairman of the UK’s independent Committee on Climate Change (The CCC). In 2014, Lord Deben spoke at the launch of the CIWM report on the Circular Economy, co-hosted by APSRG. Prior to his appointment to the Lords, he was the MP for Suffolk Coastal from 1979 to 2010. During his time in the House of Commons he was Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1989-1993), and Secretary of State for the Environment (1993-1997).

Helen Gribbon

Director
Renaissance Associates Ltd

Helen is a director of a structural and civil engineering consultancy, renaissance, based in the North West with a focus on delivering, innovative, simply, elegant, and cost-effective engineering solutions for the benefit of their clients. She has been committed to the sustainability agenda in construction throughout her career and as well as a number of local action groups, is currently a board member of the Joint Board of Moderators, representing the Institution of Structural Engineers and a member of their Climate Action Team. She states: “engineers have a key role to play in the Climate Emergency, not only through active debate but also active action. Our business is focused on delivering the most sustainable solutions for our clients and ensuring that there is a future for our planet and the next generation to enjoy.” Helen is delighted to be part of the discussion today and looking forward to some active debate.