Green Tech Conference 2026

Sarah is a Principal Consultant with sustainability consultancy Anthesis, specialising in supporting financial services to understand, assess and respond to climate risk. She has over 10 years’ experience in climate science and the finance sector and has been recognised for her contributions through awards including “Best Use of Risk Analytics to Promote Resilience” at the London Cat Modelling Awards in 2020. She is passionate about climate, sustainability, and communication, and thoroughly enjoys exploring technical solutions for the complex challenges posed by climate change. Her focus areas include quantifying the impact of climate risk and opportunity and helping firms respond to regulatory requirements. Outside of work, Sarah is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She enjoys running and wild swimming through the Yorkshire Dales, where she is currently based, with her partner and two (very active and lively!) dogs.

Steve is co-founder and CEO of Creative Concern. An experienced strategist, writer and communications consultant, Steve specialises in ethical and sustainability issues, integrated campaigns, city strategies, brand development and creating strange installations out of trees, lights and beautiful type.

Recent projects include work with C40 cities, World Green Building Council, World Resources Institute, Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle City Council, Plymouth City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Steve’s spent the last few years also helping to create a European network of partner agencies, called Do Not Smile – www.donotsmile.com

He is currently a board member of the Greater Manchester LEP, and was recently the interim chair of the Community Forest Trust and has previously chaired Manchester’s Climate Change Partnership. A long time ago he was Communications Director at Sustainability Northwest and Head of Campaigns at the Vegetarian Society of the UK.

Specialties: Particular areas of expertise include climate change, place making, city strategies, culture, sustainable transport, food issues and the natural environment.

Mark is founder and managing director at NetZero.co.uk, a Manchester based Climate technology business. Following a twenty-year career in the digital automotive sector, Mark returned to university and was awarded an MBA from Manchester business school before launching the business in 2019.

Proud to be a B Corp, the business uses a hybrid model of carbon consulting and technology to streamline carbon reporting, analysis and reduction whilst engaging employees and customers with the Engage Carbon Portal within Net Zero’s proprietary software NetScope.  The NetZero.co.uk team, work with local SME’s and corporates such as Santander, VW and QBE in addition to sports partners such as MCC Lords, SRO Motorsport and World Netball where technology is used to leverage engagement and awareness amongst fans.

Rachael Shah is an award-winning leader with 12 years of experience across commercial and non-profit, sector, including impactful roles at The British Red Cross & Co-op Group. In March 2023, she pivoted towards sustainability, applying her expertise in change management, delivery, and innovation to guide Swiscot Textiles ( Now Vision Linens) on their environmental efforts.

Committed to driving positive change, Rachael leverages her skills to support the wider SME community to achieve their sustainability goals, fostering innovation, and setting new standards for environmental responsibility. Her vision for a sustainable future emphasises the crucial role businesses play in addressing environmental challenges, aiming to inspire and empower organisations towards greater ecological stewardship.

In 2021 Rachael completer her MBA from Manchester Metropolitan University with a dissertation that looked at consumer perceptions of B-Corporations within consumer retail. Rachael is also a member of the Pro-Manchester Green Committee. Rachael is also an honorary industry fellow at Salford Business School where she shares her experiences with students.

Malin is a b2b content marketer and carbon literacy trainer who’s spent 20+ years supporting businesses with their sustainability communications. A Swedish national with an MA in Public Relations and a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni, she thrives on helping businesses balance the commercial realities with climate conscious operations.

Having worked in broadcast marketing for 15 years with the BBC, Rich left his role to pursue an area of personal passion – climate change and the environment – by taking a Masters in Sustainability at the University of Salford. On completion in April 2024, Rich started a new phase of his career at Marketing Manchester as the Tourism Sustainability Manager, a new role designed to develop, implement, and promote sustainable practice across the tourism and events industry in Manchester.

Effa Ettah is a speaker, trainer and project manager with decades of experience in various sectors. His passion for research and how it translates innovation into solving contemporary challenges informs his interest and participation in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence initiatives across the Greater Manchester.

Amy Peace is the Innovation Lead for Circular Economy at Innovate UK. With a background in Chemical Engineering, she has coordinated sustainability projects and programmes in industry (ICI, INEOS, Britest), industrial clusters (Chemicals Northwest) and pan-EU cross-sector initiatives (Horizon2020 SPIRE). Amy’s work portfolio includes UKRI investments in interdisciplinary circular economy centres, Life Cycle Analysis networks, and the development of future programmes to aid the transition of manufacturing and materials sectors to get to Net Zero, highlighting the importance of embedded carbon in supply chains.

Adam is the CTO at Nemiah, bringing extensive experience in AI and Big Data across FinTech, Healthcare, and Market Research. In addition to his role at Nemiah, he co-founded Leigh Works, a social enterprise and co-working space just outside Manchester. Leigh Works has served as a test bed for Nemiah’s Green Smart Building Management System, which seamlessly integrates all aspects of building and business operations. As a result, the space has successfully reduced its energy consumption by 65%.