Sustainable Business Series - Building the Future: Green Infrastructure Solutions

Deborah Bunce

Head of Sustainable Construction, University College Birmingham

Deborah Bunce is the Head of Department for Sustainable Construction at University College Birmingham responsible for managing courses from Level 1 trade though to Level 7 MSc in Construction Project Management. She has a master's in civil engineering and has been Chartered with the Institution of Civil Engineers since 1991. For over 20 years she has worked in industry for both contactors and consultants specialising in environmental design with notable projects including the reclamation of Pride Park Derby and remediation of the land for Reading football club. She also spent several years working with the EU providing institutional strengthening support to Eastern European countries including Belarus, Poland, Estonia, Czech and Slovak Republics. Prior to this she worked in a design department working on railways, roads, bridges in steel, concrete and glass reinforced plastics.

Since 2010 Deborah has been teaching initially in the maths department but latterly leading Built Environment teams focussed on developing students to join ICE, CIOB, CIAT, RICS and CIBSE. At University College Birmingham she is leading a sustainable construction department in a recently retrofitted former print works.  She is used to leading teams of diverse engineers, specialists and craftspeople to develop courses for students at all levels. She is keen to increase accessibility to a wider range of students to enable them to achieve productive careers in all aspects of construction. In addition she is passionate about sustainability and how we need to adapt traditional construction to reduce our environmental impact.

As part of ICE she is actively involved in the Joint Board of Moderators who moderate higher and further education courses for the Engineering Council. She also sits on the Infrastructure Leadership Board at the Centre for the New Midlands, working towards shaping a sustainable robust future for all aspects of infrastructure in the region. This group works towards reducing the carbon footprint of infrastructure to meet the needs of the world in a changing climate.

Joanna Seabright

Customer Experience, Marketing and Communications Director, M6 Toll

Jo is Customer, Marketing and Comms Director at the M6toll, a crucial part of the country’s strategic road network, providing significant benefits to the West Midlands and the UK. By diverting 18 million vehicles off the M6 and local A roads annually, M6toll helps free up capacity for local traffic and supporting improvements in air quality along the congested M6 corridor.

Jo is responsible for the end-to-end customer experience at the M6toll, attracting and retaining customers and promoting the many benefits of the M6toll.  She has over 15 years’ experience in senior marketing roles in the travel industry. Jo holds an MBA from Aston Business School and is Chartered Institute of Marketing qualified.

Jon Wilkins

Carbon and Energy Management Consultant, Auditel

Jon is a Carbon and Energy Management Consultant, recognised for delivering carbon solutions by the British Standards Institution (BSi) and the UKAS accredited agency NQA.

With a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he has 30 years’ experience in manufacturing organisations ranging from a Global FTSE 100 Company to an SME Start-up.

Global Vice President roles in Electric Vehicle Powertrain across Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales Management, and Marketing have developed his skills and experience across the complete supply cycle.

In his talk, Jon will share insights on maximising energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. He will cover the fundamentals, key processes, and industry standards, along with how these have evolved over time. He’ll also present a real-world example of progress over the past year, discuss "Carbon Maturity" and what success looks like, and provide an update on the "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism."