Speakers
MATT ASKIN
Manager, GGS
Matt Askin is a chartered scientist with over fifteen years’ experience in the UK environmental sector. With a background in both regulatory and consultancy roles, he has extensive skills in investigating and managing environmental challenges.
Matt has particular expertise in the investigation, monitoring, risk assessment and management of hazardous ground gases, with substantial knowledge of landfill, waste deposit and brownfield sectors. More recently he has been focussed on improving the environmental performance of the onshore oil and gas sector, specifically ways to reduce greenhouse gases and other associated emissions.
Matt is also a long-standing Fellow of the Geological Society and has served on a number of regional and specialist group committees, including the Society’s Environment Network. He has a keen interest in innovation and a proven track record of using new and repurposed technology to improve the environmental performance of activities, both for clients and wider society.
JON AUMONIER
Project Manager, Innovation, The Coal Authority
Jon is part of the Innovation team at the Coal Authority. His focus is on finding sustainability improvements and uses for materials generated in our mine water treatment schemes. Jon’s been working on several product opportunities for Hydrous Ferric Oxide (HFO) in addition to uses for harvested reed biomas.
Before joining the Coal Authority in 2016, Jon worked in process engineering for minerals and metal production in the steel industry. Following a short stint at Newcastle University he’s been involved in a range of collaborative research projects for the minerals and mining sector.
KATE BASSETT
Business Development Manager, Groundsure
Kate Bassett has been a part of the Groundsure Insights team for 2 years now. Kate supports clients with their Phase 1 land contamination reports by providing the best raw data and quality historical maps. Kate most enjoys presenting and educating clients with the benefits of Groundsure's products, and connecting people with environmental data solutions that give them peace of mind on their projects.
JEREMY CROOKS
Head of Innovation, The Coal Authority
Jeremy joined the Coal Authority in November 2013, and established a team to work on mine energy and other projects using abandoned mines in 2015.
Since then, him and his team have worked tirelessly on innovative and forward thinking ways to repurpose mines in the UK, with a focus on low carbon energy, renewables, and protecting the public and the environment – turning historic mines from liabilities, into assets of strategic importance to the UK.
WILL FARDON
Senior Technical Manager, i2 Analytical
Will has worked in both environmental and pharmaceutical testing since 1996, working in all areas of the laboratory and also customer service and contract/account management. In 2015 Will joined i2 Analytical as part of the Business Development Team and now provides technical sales support and training throughout the UK.
TOM HENMAN
Director - Geosciences, RSK
Dr. Tom Henman has over 20 years’ experience of contaminated land assessment and
remediation, gained in both consultancy and for a problem-holder. He is a Director based in RSK’s Glasgow office and is also responsible for leading technical quality within RSK’s 200- strong Geosciences business. Tom is a Chartered Chemist and a Chartered Scientist. He is also a registered Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC), a Suitably Qualified and experienced Person (SQP) under the National Quality Mark Scheme (NQMS) and a SiLC assessor. He has a keen interest in developing and promoting technical excellence and has been actively involved in industry initiatives led by AGS, CIRIA and CL:AIRE furthering the development of industry standards. He has represented the environmental consultancy sector on the Scottish Government Contaminated Land Advisory Group. Tom has collaborated with a number of universities, including the University of Strathclyde and the University of West of Scotland amongst others, on innovative research projects, co-authoring research papers.
DERYCK IRVING
Director of Strategy and Development, Green Action Trust
Deryck Irving is Director of Strategy and Development at the Green Action Trust. An ecologist by training, he has over 30 years of experience of working with urban and peri-urban communities. Deryck’s interests and expertise lie in community-led placemaking, climate resilience and green infrastructure.
Deryck is an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism, a trustee at the Scottish Wildlife Trust and a member of the Vacant and Derelict Land Taskforce. He has previously been a director of Natural Capital Scotland and a management group member at the Community Development Alliance Scotland.
PAUL NATHANAIL
Technical Director Contamination Assessment and Remediation, GHD
Dr Paul Nathanail took up his role as Technical Director of Contamination Assessment and Remediation with GHD in July. GHD is one of the world's leading professional services companies operating in the global market sectors of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation.
Paul is excited to be working with a team of over 10,000 colleagues across the world – One GHD! He has already worked on projects in Australia, Middle East, Ireland and the West Indies – as well as the Lake District, Northumberland and Fulham! He has also been working to help organisations understand and better manage their liabilities from PFAS – the forever chemicals.
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He has recently been working on how to ensure innovative remediation integrates with sustainable remediation and maintains a social licence to operate. He chaired the ISO working group that wrote BS ISO 18504:2017 and has published on operating windows and regularly teaches on remediation in British universities and audiences around the world – though not in person for the past few months.
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Paul currently chairs the National Brownfield Forum and is deputy chair of the board of directors of SILC Register. He is a director of CABERNET and chairs his local neighbourhood forum.
PROF COLIN T. REID
Professor of Environmental Law, University of Dundee
Prof. Colin Reid is Professor of Environmental Law at the University of Dundee where he has worked since 1991. He has taught and written on various environmental law and public law themes, including biodiversity law, climate law and devolution, and access to environmental information.
He spoke at one of the first events on Brexit and the Environment, in November 2015, and since then has continued to be active on the consequences of Brexit for environmental law. This has included participation in research projects, the Brexit & Environment Network and the UK Environmental Law Association Brexit Task Force, as well as the Governance Sub-group of the Scottish Government’s Roundtable on Environment and Climate Change.
He has given written and oral evidence to several committees of both the Westminster and Holyrood Parliaments and is currently an adviser to the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament.
He was a founding member and now Patron of the UK Environmental Law Association and is a long-standing contributor to and editorial board member of Scottish Planning and Environmental Law.
STEVE WILSON
Technical Director, The Environmental Protection Group Ltd (EPG)
Steve is a Chartered Engineer and Environmentalist with 30 years professional experience of geotechnical and environmental engineering. Steve has helped to shape much of the UK guidance on ground gas assessment and remediation. He is widely recognised as a leading expert in ground gas and provides advice and designs for remediation schemes on sites around the world. He has successfully applied quantitative risk assessment to ground gas for both development and Part IIA sites over 20 years. He is co-author of the Local Authority Guide to Ground Gas and was a member of the drafting committee for British Standard BS8576 on ground gas investigation. He was also a member of the research team for a recently completed CIRIA project on the verification and integrity testing of gas protection systems.
Steve also presents training courses on ground gas for the Chartered Institution of Environmental Health and CIRIA.