Conference Day 1 Speakers

09:30 - Key Note Speaker: Barry Lewis (Leader of Derbyshire County Council)

Councillor Barry Lewis became the Leader of Derbyshire County Council in May 2017, having served on
 the county council since 2009. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, Barry is the county council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture and Tourism.

Barry is a local businessman as a Director of Amber Valley Wines, a Derbyshire vineyard, and the owner of Derwent Mills Cottages, a holiday letting business. He is also the part-time Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association, a high-profile national body dedicated to the growing and production of wines.

09:40 - Decarbonise the rural community - Michael Gallagher (Midlands Energy Hub)

After studying Earth and Environmental Science at Lancaster University, Michael spent a year teaching in Hong Kong before starting his
 career working at the Energy Saving Trust in Nottingham. The role developed into consultancy work, delivering fuel poverty related SLAs with Local Authorities in the Midlands.

Michael then worked for Mark Group, Leicester as a Solar PV system designer working on large-scale social housing, Local Authority and commercial projects; later moving on to work for JJM, Derby as Operations Manager, overseeing the supply and installation of building integrated solar PV across the UK for the construction sector. During this time, he gained an MSc in Energy and Industrial Sustainability from De Montfort University.
In his current role, Michael as Head of Midlands Energy Hub (funded by BEIS) is responsible for delivering £80 million of funding across community energy, retrofit, MEES Enforcement, skills & training and large scale energy project development. 

10:05 - Working towards Greener Community Buildings - Peter Burgess-Allen (Marches Energy Agency)

11:00 - Community Buildings: Potential responses to the Climate Crisis - Phil Davies (Cumbria Action for Sustainability)

Phil most recently managed Cumbria Action for Sustainability's (CAfS) role in a partnership project to install electric vehicle chargepoints in the North of England. He wins
 the CAfS long-service badge, having been involved with us since 2003. For five years he managed CAfS’ predecessor, Eden Local 21. He worked as the social enterprise manager for Impact Housing Association, having previously been the North West Development Agency’s sub-regional climate change officer for Cumbria. 

Phil has been recognised by the EU Commission for his success in delivering an ERDF-supported programme of energy-efficient refurbishment, whilst managing a £1.6 million ESF programme of training in the low-carbon economy. 

In his spare time, Phil is chair of Community Energy Cumbria and was a driving force behind its Killington Reservoir hydro scheme and solar arrays at the Lake District National Park Authority headquarters. He’s also a volunteer with Burneside Community Energy.