2022 National Conference

Tim Balcon

Chief Executive, CITB

Tim Balcon has led professional and membership bodies, the most notable being as Chief Executive at the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, where he transformed its vision and performance, leading to year-on-year growth. He has also been Chief Executive of the Energy and Utility Sector Skills Council (EU Skills), where he created the National Skills Academy for Power. In this role he led EU Skills to securing significant funding from Ofgem, the energy regulator, after demonstrating the economic risks arising from the skills crisis facing the industry. Tim’s knowledge of education and skills was reflected in his previous appointment to the board of Ofqual at a time of major education reform, and prior to this he was also a member of the UK Vocational Qualifications Reform Board.

Brian Berry

Chief Executive, Federation of Master Builders

Brian Berry is Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders. Prior to his current position Brian was Director of External Affairs at the FMB with responsibility for UK and EU policy, public affairs and media relations. Before the FMB, he worked at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), where he was Head of UK Public Policy. Brian regularly provides commentary on construction issues for TV, Radio, national and trade press.

Lord Callanan

Minister for Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility,

Lord Callanan was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 14 February 2020. He was Minister of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union from 27 October 2017 to 31 January 2020. Callanan was a Conservative Councillor on Tyne and Wear County Council between 1983 and 1986 and Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council between 1987 and 1996. He was a Member of the European Parliament for the North East England constituency from 1999, re-elected in 2004 and 2009. He became the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group from 2011-2014. Callanan was created a Life Peer on 24 September 2014 taking the title Baron Callanan, of Low Fell in the County of Tyne and Wear. He was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Transport between June and October 2017.
 

Gavin Killip

Senior Researcher, University of Oxford

Gavin Killip is interested in finding solutions for a more sustainable built environment. Gavin has worked with the FMB over many years, highlighting the need for better engagement and understanding of the building industry among policy-makers and other stakeholders involved in the future of energy systems for a zero-carbon future.

Russell Smith

Managing Director, Parity Projects

Russell Smith is Managing Director of Parity Projects, a company dedicated to transforming the existing housing stock and making greener homes a reality for everyone. Its Pathways and Portfolio software platform now hosts energy models for over 18 million UK homes and supports retrofit programme for Landlords and Local Authorities. Russell is also Founder and Director of the RetrofitWorks, a multi-stakeholder cooperative driving a market for smaller firms to stoke the national roll-out of low energy renovation. RetrofitWorks is currently running the £32m Warmer Homes retrofit programme for 2800 privately owned homes for the Mayor of London and pioneering self-sustaining retrofit programmes in Oxfordshire, London and the Home Counties. Russell was lead author of the Construction Leadership Council’s National Retrofit Strategy proposal and sat on the Government’s Green Jobs Task Force in 2021. 

Lynne Sullivan OBE

Buildings Lead, Green Construction Board

Lynne Sullivan is an Architect and founded sustainableBYdesign, finalists in all three 2010-2012 BRE-sponsored UK Passivhaus prototype Competitions.  

Previously Lynne was Sustainability Director for 9 years at Broadway Malyan, and for 10 years Associate Director at ECD Architects, where as Project Architect she won an RIBA Regional Design Award, and was co-author and winner of the UK’s first government-sponsored Zero CO2 housing competition.  

Lynne is now a design consultant, Visiting Professor, and industry Board member; sits on local and national design commissions and review panels, and is an RIBA Competitions Design Advisor.  She authors and chairs many policy review and research projects for UK governments and others, including the Scottish Government’s Expert Panel for “A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland”, and the CLC Buildings Mission 2030 Taskgroup.

She was awarded an OBE for services to Architecture in 2011, is Chair of the Good Homes Alliance, and a member of the CLC’s Green Construction Board since its inception.

Eve Willis

Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Nationwide Building Society

Eve Willis leads on Nationwide’s engagement with Government on green homes and
the retrofit agenda in her role as Policy and Public Affairs Manager. She established
and runs the Green Homes Action Group which brings together groups from across
the green homes supply chain, including the FMB, energy companies including E.on
and environmental groups to coordinate action on greening homes. Eve regularly
engages with Government departments including BEIS, providing advice on how
to green homes and the policy change needed to deliver the practical actions to
support Nationwide’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. Prior to joining
Nationwide, Eve worked for WPI Strategy with a focus on clients in the housing and
property sectors.