Richard Walker OBE
Chairman of Bywater | Executive Chairman of Iceland Foods Group | Author | Speaker
Richard is Chairman of Bywater, a leading property developer in the office and living sectors focused on low carbon mass timber construction. He is also Executive Chairman of The Iceland Foods Group, his family business within which he leads a team of 30,000 colleagues, serving 5 million customers in more than 70 countries with annual sales of over £4 billion. In recent years he has exemplified transformative leadership by steering both businesses towards substantial social and environmental impact. His first book, The Green Grocer, was published in 2021 and he was appointed OBE for services to business and the environment in 2022.

Dr Tara Shine
World-leading Environmental Scientist & Climate Change Negotiator | Author | Broadcaster
Tara has dedicated her career to the pursuit of equality between humans and our planet. She advises government bodies and world leaders on environmental and climate policy and has worked for 25 years as a climate change negotiator for the United Nations.  Tara is the co-founder and CEO of Change by Degrees, and she chairs the Board of Trustees at the International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED), one of the world’s leading independent policy and research organisations with a mission to build a fairer and more sustainable world. As a broadcaster her onscreen credits span BBC, Channel 4 and RTE with acclaimed programmes including Brave New World with Stephen Hawking.

Rt. Hon John Gummer, Lord Deben
UK’s Longest-Serving Environment Secretary | Chairman of Climate Change Committee | Founder of Sancroft International
Between 2012 and 2023 Lord Deben was Chairman of the UK’s Independent Climate Change Committee. He is also the UK’s longest serving Secretary of State for the Environment (1993-97) having previously been Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. His sixteen years of top-level ministerial experience also include Minister for London, Employment Minister, and Paymaster General in HM Treasury. He is the founder and Chairman of Sancroft International, a consultancy that advises both businesses and investors on all areas of Sustainability and ESG. Throughout his political, business, and personal life Lord Deben has consistently championed an accord between sustainability and business sense.

Vicky Davies OBE
CEO of Danske Bank and Ground-Breaking Local Business Leader
Vicky became Danske Bank’s first female Chief Executive in 2021. A Cambridge graduate, she began her career as a management consultant at Accenture in London before earning her MBA from the INSEAD business school in France. Recognising the critical role of the Bank in financing the transition to a greener economy, Vicky established a Sustainability team in Belfast. This dedicated team supports customers not only through sustainable lending activities but also by fostering the skills needed for the transition. Recognised for her leadership, Vicky was named NI Businesswoman of the Year at the Women in Business Awards in 2024. In 2025, she was awarded an OBE for her services to the economy in Northern Ireland.

Mary Robinson (Virtual Address)
First Female President of Ireland | Former UN High Commissioner | Passionate Advocate for Climate Justice
As the first female President of Ireland, Mary elevated the country to a new level of international status and pioneered seismic change in the country. She then took up the role of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and was listed as one of Time’s top 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world. She is a founding member and currently the Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders formed by Nelson Mandela to tackle the world’s most pressing problems. Awarding Mary the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, Barack Obama said she has “not only shone a light on human suffering but illuminated a better future for our world.”