Blogs

Our upcoming Retrofit and Decarbonisation: An LHC CPD Accredited Event brings together experts influencing the future of energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Introducing our esteemed speakers and panellists, who will share their expertise and insights to drive the crucial conversations at our event.

David Pierpoint MBA MPhil FRSA - Founder and Chief Executive, The Retrofit Academy

David Pierpoint, Founder and Chief Executive of The Retrofit Academy, has dedicated over a decade to addressing skills shortages and knowledge gaps in the retrofit sector, working alongside government, industry, and academia.

David has led The Retrofit Academy to train over 8,000 professionals since 2019, with the goal of attracting, training and developing 50,000 retrofit professionals by 2030.  He is also the Chair of the newly formed Association for Retrofit Consultants (ARC). His expertise will provide valuable insights into the future of procurement and sustainability in public sector housing.

Neil Webster – Head of Client Services, Sureserve Energy Services

Neils’s key role is working with social housing providers and helping deliver their requirements and plans. From the initial stages of scoping projects to sharing end-to-end guidance and support for achieving their targets,  Sureserve’s collaborative approach and UK-wide delivery capability across all regions with all required installation measures can help bring proposed projects to mobilisation. Their service also includes guidance and support for all available funding options.

Andrew Tod - Head of Net Zero Carbon, Sureserve Group

Andrews's key aspects of his role are helping to tackle the dual aims of decarbonisation and fuel poverty through supporting clients with their decarbonisation strategies and advocating for better policies and improved funding with policymakers and civil servants. In a previous role at Turner & Townsend, he led the technical and bid support workstream for the Retrofit Information Support and Expertise programme. He provided direct support to bidders in government retrofit funds. 

Megan Cresswell, Senior Consultant at RISE -Turner & Townsend

Megan is a senior consultant working within the RISE programme. She has over 8 years’ experience in the retrofit sector. She worked as the Energy & Sustainability Manager for an East Anglian Housing Association for nearly six years before moving to Turner & Townsend. Megan is the regional lead for the Midlands region on the Salix delivery partner and under the RISE programme she is a Strategic Support Manager as well as the operational lead for the supply chain.

Ben Nixon- Senior Associate Partner, Baily Garner

 Ben Nixon is Baily Garner’s National Retrofit Lead and a Senior Associate Partner with the firm. He is a Chartered Construction Manager and a Chartered Building Surveyor. Ben has been involved in the social housing sector for 19 years, working for organisations such as Hyde Housing and L&Q in addition to his work with construction consultancies. He has a deep passion for the sector and is a keen advocate for the provision of safe, comfortable, cheap to run homes for social residents. Ben started Baily Garner’s retrofit department; as well as being qualified for and performing PAS 2035 roles on some of the country’s largest retrofit projects, he audits properties on behalf of clients to determine the quality and compliance of installed measures. Ben also assists organisations with their strategic asset management and overall decarbonisation strategies including data gathering and planning to inform future retrofit work.

Paul Dawson, Group Technical Manager, LHC Procurement Group

With over four decades of experience in the built environment sector, Paul has had the privilege of working on a wide range of projects, including national museums, hotels, residential units, and even battleships. His roles have encompassed technical compliance in a range of disciplines, general management, construction project management, and a clerk of works.

His career has taken him to various countries, including the UK, Sri Lanka, and Dubai. Presently, his focus lies on renewable technology and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Paul is an MCS-licensed, PAS-qualified, CPD-qaulified and actively involved qualified installer in a broad spectrum of fields, including electrical, plumbing, heating, gas, solar PV, solar thermal, heat pumps, and ventilation. Paul is also dedicated to giving back to the community and the industry. To enable this, he has volunteered through STEM (Go Construct) and Barclays Life Skills. Additionally, he continues to impart his knowledge by actively lecturing on built environment subjects with a permanent position at a local college, to introduce and develop fresh talent to this challenging yet rewarding field.

Join industry experts as they discuss the latest strategies  in retrofit and decarbonisation. Gain valuable insights, network with professionals, and earn CPD credits. Click here to learn more and register.