Programme
Guests

Gillian Burke
Biologist and BBC Springwatch presenter
From maggot farming to television presenting, biologist and BBC Springwatch presenter, Gillian Burke, has followed an unusual career path from humble beginnings in Kenya to joining one of the nation’s best-loved wildlife television shows.
She shares her love of the natural world through film and enjoys the challenge of showcasing the animals most people love to hate. Along with the BBC’s Watches strand, her film credits hint at her reputation for championing the outcasts of the animal kingdom – from Ultimate Guide to Spiders & Ants for Discovery Channel; to King Cobra! & Anaconda! for Animal Planet’s Snakemaster series; to the ground-breaking, and one of the highest grossing IMAX films to date, Bugs! 3D – literally as big as it gets for a film about insects.
Gillian may be passionate about the natural world, but is increasingly curious and drawn to human stories of behaviour change. As a science communicator and environmentalist, reporting on genuine conservation success stories, as evidence that things can change for the better, has become her hallmark and she defiantly remains a conservation optimist (on most days).
Richard Curtis
Film writer and director
Richard Curtis is a film writer and director, responsible for films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Mr Bean, Love Actually, The Boat That Rocked, and most recently Trash, About Time and Yesterday.
In the other half of Richard’s life he is co-founder and vice-chair of Comic Relief, which he started after visiting Ethiopia during the 1985 famine and led to the fundraising event, Red Nose Day. He has co-produced the 16 live nights for the BBC since 1988 and the charity has made over £1.3 Billion for projects in the UK and internationally during that time. In 2015, he helped bring Red Nose Day to the United States with the partnership of NBC and Walgreens - where it has so far raised nearly $150 million to help children in the USA and round the world.
Richard was a founding member of Make Poverty History, the campaign for the MDGs and worked both on that and on Live 8 in 2005. In 2015 he helped found Project Everyone to work to make the Global Goals famous and effective - and is now a UN Advocate for the SDGs.
Dr Mya-Rose Craig
Founder & President, Black2Nature
Mya-Rose Craig, is a prominent British Bangladeshi birder, conservationist & young environmentalist. She is committed to conservation, stopping biodiversity loss and saving our planet through halting climate change, whilst respecting indigenous peoples, and highlighting Global Climate Justice as it intersects with Climate Change Action. Mya-Rose founded the charity Black2Nature in 2016 to offer minority ethnic children and teenagers experiences in nature and help minority ethnic role models occupy space in conservation. She is proud to be a Triodos customer.

Keith Bradbury
Co-founder, Ember
Keith is co-founder of Ember, the UK's first zero emission intercity bus service. Ember are breaking new ground by proving that electric vehicles can be used in high utilisation commercial environments and they're doing it in a way that is genuinely passenger friendly. The world doesn't need more cars, it needs a better solution to transportation and it needs to do it with zero emissions.
Keith’s recent experience includes Chief Operations Officer at iwoca and Head of Operations at MoveGB. He has a masters from London Business School. Previously, he did a BSc in Mathematics and Economics at UCL and the Open University whilst representing the GB climbing team.
Dr Barbara Hammond MBE
CEO, Low Carbon Hub
Barbara is CEO of the Low Carbon Hub and Executive Director on the Board.
From 2000 until 2010, Dr Barbara Hammond was in Government, heading up the UK’s renewable energy programme. During this time she set up the first capital grants programmes to support renewable energy technologies. Prior to this she worked with Sir David King to help influence international partners on climate change in the run up to the UK presidency of the G8 and the EU in 2005.
Since 2008 Barbara has been involved in community energy groups in her own neighbourhood, helping to bring projects like Osney Lock Hydro and Matthew Arnold School’s solar PV project to fruition. In 2010, Oxford City Council asked Barbara to explore the potential for growing community-led energy through social enterprise. This became the Low Carbon Hub which was launched in December 2011.
She was awarded an MBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List for services to community energy development, particularly in Oxfordshire.
John Steel
CEO, Cafédirect
Cafédirect’s CEO, John Steel, is a business leader and social entrepreneur with a passion for making business a force for good.
Under John’s leadership Cafedirect has returned to growth, become profitable and yet maintained its sustainability commitments to its producers.
John is determined that Cafédirect, as one of the UK’s pre-eminent Social Enterprises, plays a pivotal role in leading the change agenda. In 2018 Cafédirect became the 1st coffee company in the UK to be B Corp certified and was recognised as the Social Enterprise of the Year.
John Steel first pursued a career in marketing, with organisations such as Nestle and Weetabix. Subsequently John held leadership positions in both large corporations and start-up businesses.
John is a passionate and genuine believer in the need for real change in the way business contributes to society and the wider world. He works tirelessly to share Cafédirect’s unique approach.

Bevis Watts
Outgoing CEO
Bevis Watts became Chief Executive Officer of Triodos Bank UK Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Triodos Bank N.V., in May 2019. Prior to this he was Managing Director of Triodos Bank UK for three years, having previously been Head of Business Banking at Triodos for almost five years.
During his time as MD, the bank has delivered strong growth, launched a new personal current account and a crowdfunding platform. He has 20 years’ experience in the wider sustainability field across the private, public and voluntary sectors.
Bevis has always worked for values-led organisations, and before Triodos was Chief Executive of Avon Wildlife Trust and Head of Business Support at The Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP). He has held numerous Directorships and Trusteeships and was a Board member of Bristol 2015, the delivery company for Bristol European Green Capital 2015, inaugural Chair of the West of England Nature Partnership, and he was elected to represent Local Nature Partnerships at a national level on the ESI Funds National Growth Board (2013-2015).
Judy Rose
Chief Operating Officer
Judy became Chief Operating Officer of Triodos Bank UK Ltd in May 2019, after 9 years as Triodos Bank UK's Head of Operations. She has responsibility for customer operations, large project implementation, facilities management and ICT services.
Judy has more than 20 years' experience as a project manager and developer in the financial sector, including several years with the Woolwich Building Society, and holds an MSc in Information Systems.
Judy first started working for Triodos' forerunner in the UK, Mercury Provident, in 1993, and returned to the bank in 2006.
Gareth Griffiths
Head of Retail Banking, Triodos Bank UK
Gareth became Head of Retail Banking of Triodos Bank UK Ltd in July 2019. Gareth was previously Sales & Service Director at the RAC, leading large-scale Customer Operations and a large transformation programme to focus on his two passions; delivering high levels of Customer Service and focusing on making things better for co-workers.
Prior to working at the RAC, Gareth held a number of roles at HSBC Bank, working as Director of Performance in both face-to-face and telephone contact channels, responsible for regulated mortgage sales and personal lending products. Gareth also has extensive experience in Product and Proposition Management, as well as strategy and planning work.