Breaking down barriers: do we have all the technologies we need to reach net zero?

Supercharging Innovation

In this second series, our expert guests will explore how the UK must break down barriers to solve national and global challenges and how this can be realised through the power of science, innovation and technology.

Episode 2 considers several critical questions, including: What are the toughest innovation challenges to get to a net zero future? How can Government policy drive new technology? What are the roles of hydrogen, offshore renewable energy and a whole systems approach in reaching our targets faster? Learn more by listening to this episode of the Supercharging Innovation podcast.

Hear from our panel of experts, including Guy Newey, CEO of Energy Systems Catapult, Dr Cristina Garcia-Duffy, Technical Director at Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Katy Milne, Programme Director at Hydrogen Innovation Initiative and the Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP, Conservative MP for Kingswood and Chair of the Net Zero Review.

Learn more about our panellists here:

• Guy Newey, CEO of Energy Systems Catapult:
  Guy was appointed Chief Executive Officer at Energy Systems Catapult, after serving as the Director of Strategy since 2018 and previously as a political adviser to two UK Government Secretaries of State; Greg Clark and Amber Rudd. In Government, he was involved in many key decisions, including closing the UK’s coal-fired power stations, greater independence for the electricity system operator, and as an architect of the Clean Growth Strategy. Before joining Government, he was Head of Policy at the challenger energy supplier, OVO Energy and Head of Environment and Energy at the influential think tank, Policy Exchange. He is a non-executive director with UK100, a charity campaigning for greater environmental action by local authorities.
• Dr Cristina Garcia-Duffy, Technical Director at Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult:
  Cristina Garcia Duffy serves as the Executive Director at ORE Catapult, where she leads our technology strategy, product and service development, research activities, and strategic partnerships. She also plays a crucial role in nurturing technical talent within our organisation. Prior to her role at Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Cristina held the position of Head of Technology at the UK Aerospace Technology Institute. In this capacity, she was responsible for shaping the UK National Aerospace Technology Strategy, guiding government investments in aerospace research and technology, which amounted to approximately £150 million annually. In addition to her work at the Catapult, Cristina is actively involved in several key industry initiatives. She serves as a Non-Executive Director of Renewable UK, the trade association representing a community of over 400 member companies dedicated to expanding renewable electricity deployment in the UK and international markets. She is also a board member of the DESNZ and the Offshore Wind Industry Council led Floating Offshore Wind Task Force, focused on accelerating the adoption of this emerging opportunity. Furthermore, Cristina is a member of the post-OWAT Industrial Growth Plan Board, contributing to the development of a strategic plan for enhancing the opportunities and the resilience of the UK-based offshore wind supply chain.
• Katy Milne, Programme Director at Hydrogen Innovation Initiative:
  Katy Milne is Programme Director for the first programme of the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative – a collaboration of seven Catapults and four technology centres. Katy has previously held roles as Head of Industrial Strategy on the FlyZero project at the Aerospace Technology Institute, as Chief Engineer of a programme for additive manufacturing for the UK aerospace supply chain at the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing at the MTC – one of the seven centres of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. Katy is a member of the Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group of the Jet Zero Council and Chair of the EPSRC Manufacturing and Circular Economy Strategic Advisory Team.
• Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP, Conservative MP for Kingswood and Chair of the Net Zero Review:
  party since 1996 and was first elected as the MP for Kingswood in 2010.. He became the Conservative candidate for Kingswood in January 2008, having been one of the first MPs to have been chosen by a primary, where members of the public were able to attend the selection meeting. Chris was elected with one of the largest swings in the South West, overturning a 7,800 Labour majority with a swing of 9.4%. In 2015, Chris increased his majority from 2,445 to 9,006. Chris has sat on the Health Select Committee (2010-2013) and the Education Select Committee (2012-2014). In 2013, he was appointed to the No 10 Policy Board, and in September 2014 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the No 10 Policy Board. In May 2015, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP until July when Chris was given the position of Minister for the Constitution in the Cabinet Office until January 2018 when he was made Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party for Policy. As the former Energy Minister, Chris was invited to lead the Net Zero Review. The review was tasked with assessing the Government’s approach to net zero, to ensure it was pursuing the most economically efficient path to meeting its climate change commitments, given the changed economic context.

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