Louise is a hydrochemist and Distinguished Professor in the Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University. She was appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) of the University in 2019. In 2018, she was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for services to scientific research and scientific advice to government. In 2015, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in recognition of the distinguished contribution she has made to catchment science and to science-policy engagement. Louise’s long-term contribution to the discipline of hydrology led to her election in 2004 as Vice-President of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), which has over 7,000 members drawn from nearly 200 countries worldwide and, in 2017, she was elected President of the Freshwater Biological Association. Prior to this, in 2004, Louise founded and was first Director of the Centre for Sustainable Water Management in Lancaster University; one of the precursor interdisciplinary research centres that contributed to the formation of the Lancaster Environment Centre.

Matthew joined Depaul International as CEO in September 2021. Matthew has extensive management and leadership experience having worked and led humanitarian operations across the globe with CAFOD, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Concern Worldwide, UNICEF and UNDP. With over 25 years experience working in areas including: Bosnia, Haiti, PNG, East Timor, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Middle East, Somalia, Sudan, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and East Africa.

Matthew has a deep seated passion for accountability and giving voice to those affected by crisis and vulnerability. He has been Chair of Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) and Chair of the global Joint Humanitarian Standards Initiative (JSI). He has directly supported the development of Sphere, People in Aid, HAP and the ALNAP research institute since the mid 1990s.

He has a renowned track record in bringing together agencies, shaping collective and collaborative humanitarian action and representing the sector at a variety of operational and diplomatic levels. He has Chaired of The Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies (CBHA, Start Network), is a member of Caritas Humanitarian Council and Board member of the Start Network and External Advisory Board member to Bristol University Cabot Institute.

Matthew has an MSc in International Relations and Management from University College of Wales Swansea and with a research background in conflict and humanitarian assistance.

His role is to improve the use of science by policy makers, by bringing science with societal implications to the attention of key policy actors across all sectors. Rupert previously led the Government Office for Science (GO-Science) which supports the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor. Rupert’s previous roles were Head of Automotive policy in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), where he also led work on business risks and contingency planning.   Prior to this he was BIS Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser, head of Climate Adaptation policy (Defra), leading the UK’s first cross-economy climate risk assessment, he led a Defra agency rationalisation, and in 2007 set up the Prime Minister’s ‘Business Council for Britain’.  In 2004, whilst in a previous spell in the Office of Science & Technology (OST), a predecessor of GO-Science, working to the then Government Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir David King, Rupert initiated the ‘Horizon Scanning Centre’. Before joining Government in 2002, Rupert worked on new technologies in aquaculture start-ups in SE Asia, South Africa, and Europe.

Emily is a mathematician and climate scientist and a Fellow of Darwin College, a Fellow of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Science and Policy and a Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey.

She leads the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training on the Application of AI to the study of Environmental Risks (AI4ER). Until April 2019 she led a UK national research programme on the Southern Ocean and its role in climate (ORCHESTRA), and was deputy head of the Polar Oceans Team and head of the Data Science Group at British Antarctic Survey. In the past she has worked at École Normale Supérieure in Paris and at MIT.

She is a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and co-chair of their Climate Science Communications Group. She has also acted as an advisor to the UK Government on behalf of the Natural Environment Research Council. In 2016 she was awarded an OBE for services to science and the public communication of science. She is co-author with HRH The Prince of Wales and Tony Juniper of the Ladybird Book on Climate Change.

Amy Robinson studied Philosophy at the University of East Anglia and has lived and worked in Bristol since 2000.  Following four years at Aardman Animations, she has spent the majority of her career working in sustainability focused businesses. She began her environmental career at Eunomia Research and Consulting and went on the become Sustainability Manager at Bordeaux Quay, an internationally recognised ’eco-restaurant’, before her role as Network Director for Low Carbon South West CIC. During that time Amy worked as the Low Carbon Sector Specialist for Invest Bristol and Bath, working to build the low carbon sector in the West of England. Amy was also a founder of the Go Green sustainable business programme which formed part of Bristol’s programme as European Green Capital 2015 and engaged with 1,000 businesses in its first six months, helping them to embed resilience and sustainability into their business models.

Amy has held a range of voluntary board positions including Environmental iNet SW, Sustainability South West, The Design Programme, The Architecture Centre and the Bristol Green Capital Partnership.

Her current role is Partnerships Manager at the ethical bank, Triodos, where she works to promote the importance of ethical investment and the positive use of money to achieve social and environmental goals.

Dickie Whitaker has 30 years' experience in the Re(In)surance business and for the last 20 years has specialised in risk and innvoation, linking academia, government and finance. He co-founded The Lighthill Risk Network, Oasis Palm Tree Ltd., The Oasis Hub and is chief executive of Oasis Loss Modelling Framework Ltd. He provides advisory roles to: UK's Satellite Applications Advisory Board, Expert Group for the Global Risk Assessment Framework (GRAF) and the UN Internationl Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).