Expert Bureau

The Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable was Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade (2010-2015). He was Member of Parliament for Twickenham 1997-2015; deputy leader of the Lib Dems 2007-2010 and shadow chancellor 2003-2010.

He was the leader of the Liberal Democrats 2017-2019; he has served as Member of Parliament for Twickenham 1997-2015, 2017-2019.

Sir Vince is also a visiting professor at the London School of Economics, Nottingham University and St Mary University in Twickenham and a regular commentator in the media on business news and issues.

Lucy Siegle is a journalist, author and passionate campaigner for a more sustainable way of life.

In January 2020 she became Chair of the Real Circularity Coalition, an international campaign with the goal of creating a real circular economy.

She is a reporter on BBC One programme The One Show and is a columnist for The Guardian.
She has written a number of books on environmental issues.

Ben Fogle is UN Patron of the Wilderness and Chair of environmental coalition Nature 2030. He is an award-winning broadcaster, adventurer and author.

Sian advises Higginson’s clients on how to build brands with heart and how to communicate purpose. Co-Founder of the Mio and Mama Mio range and campaign group A Plastic Planet, Sian helps people and brands ignite and flourish. She has 25 years’ experience in brand building in Europe and the USA.

Sian Sutherland is Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet, one of the most recognised and respected campaigns combatting the plastic crisis.

Chris has been Chief Executive at Look Ahead, a specialist care, support and housing provider since January 2015. He has been at the organisation for over 20 years, including time as both a Director and Deputy Chief Executive.

Chris has over 25 years’ experience working in housing and social care. He began his career in local government, working for two inner London local authority housing departments. He previously chaired the National Housing Federation’s Supported Housing Providers Forum and was a member of their National Care and Support Advisory Group.

Chris is a not for profit representative for the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network and also jointly chairs the Confederation’s Housing Forum.  He has a particular interest in the integration between health, social care and housing.

Juliet Gellatley is founder & director of Viva! – the biggest vegan charity in Europe. Viva! launched in 1994, joined by Viva! Poland in 2002. She was previously director of the Vegetarian Society of the UK.

Juliet has created and launched numerous campaigns on the impact of what we eat on the planet and our health. She has also investigated many farms – often the big names – and exposed the devastating animal cruelty that seems to hold no bounds in agribusiness and written several reports, guides and books.

Juliet has a degree in Zoology & Psychology and is a qualified nutritional therapist.

Viva! is funded by public donations.  viva.org.uk   vivahealth.org.uk

Daphna Nissenbaum is the co-founder and CEO of TIPA, a leading manufacturer of compostable flexible packaging.

Described as “A Disruptive Leader for a Good Cause” by Insights Success, Daphna was named as one of the “30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech, 2019”.

For her work tackling the plastic pollution crisis, Daphna has been invited to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos and has written articles for publications including The Independent.

Carol Chandler-Thompson is Head at Blackheath High School GDST.

Blackheath High is rated ‘Excellent in all areas’ by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).

Carol has written for publications including The Independent on the key role educators should play in promoting gender equality.

Rosamund Kissi-Debrah is the Co-Founder of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation.

Rosamund is now the World Health Organisation Advocate for Health and Air Quality.

The Ella Roberta Family Foundation was set up in memory of Rosamund’s daughter Ella who died aged nine-years-old in 2013. Air pollution in London was breaking EU legal limits on the day Ella died.

Janez Potočnik is the Co-Chair of United Nations’ International Resource Panel (IRP), a forum of eminent scientists and experts working to improve our use of resources worldwide.

From 2009 until 2014, Janez served as European Commissioner for Environment. Prior to that, he was Slovenia’s Minister for European Affairs.

In September 2013 he received the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth Award.

Michael Kovacs co-founded Castleforge Partners in 2010, a London based investment fund that has invested approximately £1 billion of asset value throughout the UK and Europe. Castleforge focuses on value creation through an active asset management strategy and full vertical integration.
 
Michael previously worked at Westbrook Partners based in London, and at the Blackstone Group based in New York, where he was involved in mergers and acquisitions across several different industries. He graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and now serves on the University’s European leadership committee.