Introducing the industry鈥檚 freshest talent working in sustainable construction 鈥�
Since the beginning of the year, 黑洞社区 has been on the hunt for the most talented young people working in sustainable construction. In order to identify the top 50 profiled over the following pages we contacted more than 70 senior industry figures to ask for their nominations.
Our criteria were simple: we were looking for individuals under 40 from across the industry who are making waves in sustainability. This year鈥檚 50 rising stars are therefore all examples of emerging talents that have been recognised by those at the very top of the industry. Have your colleagues made the grade? Let us know what you think of our top fifty green stars - contact adam.branson@ubm.com with your thoughts.
Here are our stars from J to L,
John Alker, 33
Director of policy and communications, UKGBC
Alker has been with UK-GBC since its launch in 2007 when it had 30 members and four staff. The campaign group now has 400 members and a team of about 20. He is responsible
for setting the UK-GBC鈥檚 policy strategy, as well as its external positioning, which includes government relations.
Jon Lovell, 35
Global practice leader, Sustainable Real Estate, Deloitte
Lovell is responsible for the international delivery of Deloitte鈥檚 sustainability services, heading up a team of 150 advisers. He is currently working with the Asia Society and Urban Land Institute on the Pacific Cities Sustainability Initiative.
Judith Sykes, 37
Director, Useful Simple Projects
Sykes鈥� role involves advising major organisations on sustainability strategy and environmental design. She is currently developing the sustainability strategy for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, as well as the 2014 World Cup, also in Brazil.
Julia Plaskett, 34
Group sustainability executive, Crest Nicholson
How and why did you end up working in sustainability?
I was at Crest in the IT department. When there was a lull in my workload I went and had a chat with the HR department and said that I had time on my hands. I hooked up with the then sustainability manager who explained the concept of sustainable development to me. I then went on to study with the Open University and the University of Bath and more recently with Henley Business School. Crest sponsored me through all of that.
What does your current role involve?
We do a lot work with other organisations such as universities to identify opportunities on how we can deliver sustainable buildings more creatively. We鈥檙e now doing a lot of long-term monitoring: how people interact with their home once they鈥檝e moved in.
Where would you like to be in 10 years鈥� time?
I hope to be very much in sustainability and the built environment. I hope to still be leading a team at Crest or doing something similar in another organisation in the industry.
Julie Hirigoyen, 39
Head of sustainability, Jones Lang LaSalle
A co-founder of consultancy Upstream Sustainability Strategies, which was acquired by Jones Lang LaSalle in 2007, Hirigoyen is responsible both for advising external clients on sustainability issues and embedding sound sustainability practice within all aspects of Jones Lang LaSalle鈥檚 business. She is currently the chair of the British Property Federation鈥檚 sustainability committee.
Kirsten Henson, 34
Founder, KLH Sustainability
Henson has provided sustainability advice on several high profile projects, most notably the London 2012 Olympic Games. She is also a technical adviser to the United Nations Environment Programme and has lectured at numerous universities.
Kristian Steele, 38
Senior consultant, Arup
Steele works with a variety of organisations to produce commercially applicable research. He is currently building a database of carbon benchmarks for buildings, working with campaign body Wrap, developing a carbon route map for the UK built environment with the Green Construction Board and looking at the energy performance gap in buildings and how that might be closed, again with the Green Construction Board.
How and why did you end up working in sustainability?
The foundations were set when I was at university. I did a Masters in civil engineering and the content of the course touched on sustainability but not any sort of detail. It was something that I was aware of because of my broader interests in the environment. I grew up in New Zealand and have always liked the outdoors. I did a doctorate in environmental technology and that provided the academic basis for my career in sustainability and construction.
What does your current role involve?
I鈥檝e tended to focus on the carbon agenda in a big way - it鈥檚 the defining environmental challenge of our time - and I think it鈥檚 starting to have credibility across the industry. I do a lot of work on materials and embedded carbon, which is a big area. My work at the moment includes building a database of carbon benchmarks for buildings working with [campaign body] WRAP, developing a carbon route map for the UK built environment with the Green Construction Board and looking at the energy performance gap in buildings and how that might be closed, again with the Green Construction Board.
Where would you like to be in 10 years鈥� time?
I鈥檇 like to be continuing what I do and pushing into new areas, developing the agenda. I鈥檇 like to take the issue of carbon and climate change and apply it to completely new areas.
Lee Fordham, 38
Associate, Architype
Fordham is currently working on a Passivhaus school project in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, having completed two other Passivhaus primaries in the city in the last two years.
Luke Gallagher, 28
Green futures manager, Gentoo
Gallagher works for Gentoo鈥檚 Green Commercial division, which looks at commercial opportunities generated by government green initiatives. The idea is to create sustainable income streams that can then support the registered social landlords鈥� wider work. Gallagher says that he expects Gentoo to become a registered Green Deal provider imminently.
Lydia Booth, 29
Environmental Project Manager, Argent
Booth is responsible for sustainability on Argent鈥檚 huge King鈥檚 Cross Central project in London. She works with contractors to make sure that they are in line with the developer鈥檚 targets and liaises with stakeholders in the project such as potential tenants and local authorities.
How and why did you end up working in sustainability?
I got into sustainability by accident. When I moved to London I joined a hockey club and met someone who worked for Jones Lang LaSalle鈥檚 sustainability team. I was introduced to the team
there and started in sustainability consulting. Through working there for nearly five years I was introduced to Argent and made the transition to a new role.
What does your current role involve?
I pull together all of the successes that are happening on the King鈥檚 Cross site at the moment. We鈥檙e achieving BREEAM 鈥渙utstanding鈥� on most of the buildings that we鈥檙e putting up. I work with the contractors to make sure that they鈥檙e in line with all our targets. It involves a lot of communication and a lot of liaison with external stakeholders as well.
Where would you like to be in 10 years鈥� time?
I would like to have delivered a really great project on King鈥檚 Cross that鈥檚 fully rejuvenated the area, and hope that the buildings there are operating as we say they will be and that we鈥檙e helping the occupiers with that.
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