About the speakers

Ruth Cairnie, Chair, Babcock International and Supporting Chair, Chapter Zero
Ruth has extensive experience of the engineering sector gained from a 37-year international career at Royal Dutch Shell plc. Her experience includes advising government departments on strategic development and capability building. Ruth is Chair of Babcock International Group PLC. She is also currently the Senior Independent Director of Associated British Foods plc; Patron of the Women in Defence Charter; Chair of POWERful Women; a Commissioner of the Covid Recovery Commission; and a trustee of Windsor Leadership. Ruth was previously a non-executive director of Rolls Royce Holdings plc, ContourGlobal plc and Keller Group PLC and a member of the finance committee of the University of Cambridge.

Emily Farnworth, Global Director, Low Carbon Economy Transition, ERM: Environmental Resources Management
From January 2021 Emily will be the Deputy Director of the Centre for Climate Change Engagement at the University of Cambridge. She is currently Global Director at ERM, Environmental Resources Management. Prior to this Emily was the Head of Climate Initiatives at the World Economic Forum where she was involved in setting up the Climate Governance Initiative, the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders and the Mission Possible Platform. She is a Platform Fellow of the World Economic Forum and continues to support the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance. She also sits on the Advisory Group of RE100 – an initiative that drives demand for renewable power.

Emily has over 25 years of experience working with businesses, government and non-profit organisations to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. She has worked across multi-stakeholder groups and within specific industry sectors to collaborate on solutions to tackle climate change. She has led research, campaigns and communications strategies aimed at creating systemic change in the way businesses mange climate risk and decarbonize operations.

Chris Stark, CEO, Committee on Climate Change
Chris is the Chief Executive of the UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC), the public body tasked by the Climate Change Act to be the independent authority on tackling climate change. Chris leads a team of analysts and specialists, offering expert insight into the challenges of reducing UK emissions and adapting to the changing climate. Chris led the CCC’s work in 2019 to recommend a new ‘Net Zero’ target for the UK – now brought into law. He speaks regularly on the transition to a zero carbon economy and the need to confront climate change with urgency. Chris has wide experience in government. He has designed economic policy in Whitehall, including in HM Treasury and the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. He was previously Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish Government, leading the development of the Scottish energy and climate strategies.

Iain Wright FCA, Director for Business and Industrial Strategy, ICAEW
Iain trained as a Chartered Accountant and worked at Deloitte and Touche from 1995-2003. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool in 2004 and served in this capacity until 2017, until he decided not to seek re-election. Iain served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Planning in the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2007 to 2009 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for 14-19 Reform and Apprenticeships between 2009 and 2010 in the Gordon Brown Government. Between 2011 and 2015 he was the opposition spokesman for Industry. Then from 2015 - 2017, he was the Chairman of Parliament’s Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy Select Committee, where he led high profile inquiries into the sale of BHS and working practices at Sports Direct. He stood down at the 2017 General Election and joined ICAEW in April 2018. Iain is a Governor of Middlesbrough College and trustee of Kings College London’ Industrial Strategy Advisory Board. He also chairs the policy forum of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. He has an MA in History from University College London and obtained an MBA with Distinction from Durham University in 2019.