SDG Roadshow 2026
Driving Local Action on the SDGs
In partnership with
Across the UK, businesses are under pressure to respond to the social and environmental challenges playing out in the communities where they operate. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remain a clear and widely recognised framework for action, but with 2030 fast approaching, expectations have shifted towards measurable, place-based impact. Done well, embedding the SDGs at a regional level can strengthen supply chains, unlock investment, and build trust with communities and policymakers.
Delivering on the Goals will depend on practical collaboration between business, finance, government, and civil society, particularly in the regions where national ambition becomes lived reality. In 2026, the SDG Roadshow will bring that collaboration to key business hubs across the UK. Each one-day event will be shaped by regional priorities, connecting global SDG ambition to local risks, opportunities, and investment decisions.
The Roadshow will offer practical insight, targeted networking, and partnership opportunities, equipping businesses to integrate the SDGs into core strategy and accelerate impact where it matters most.
Manchester
Wednesday, 23 September 9:00 - 15:30 BST
With growing expectations from investors, regulators, employees, and customers, companies are under increasing pressure to set and deliver ambitious corporate goals aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To address complex sustainability challenges, build resilience, maintain short-term performance, and enable long-term growth, businesses must take meaningful action.
To support this journey, our SDG Roadshow is back, visiting Manchester to take a deep dive into the SDGs. Delivered in partnership with DWF, the event will feature interactive workshops and high-level roundtables designed to explore how businesses can drive local action on the SDGs, build internal buy-in to embed the SDGs across core functions, and foster regional partnerships among sustainability professionals.
SPEAKERS
Matt Richardson
Head of Social Impact and Procurement
GM Business Growth Hub
Matt Richardson: As well as heading up the Social Impact and Procurement service at the GM Business Growth Hub, Matt also leads on the wider Growth Company’s social impact agenda. He has worked in community development and social impact for 20 years, previously with local authorities and a national drug and alcohol charity, before joining the Hub in 2017.
Passionate about value and societal benefit, Matt has fronted programmes that challenge ways of working more responsibly within businesses, championing good employment practices, community partnerships and, most recently, a more inclusive procurement landscape across Greater Manchester.
Matt is the co-founder of the Greater Manchester Anti-Slavery Business Network and sits on various leadership groups focused on topics such as the real living wage, VCFSE development, work experience and is the former Chair of the Greater Manchester Social Value Network.
Samantha Nicholson
Director
Manchester Climate Ready
Sam Nicholson is the Director of Manchester Climate Ready, a network of stakeholders in the public, private and charitable sectors collaborating with local people to create a city where climate action improves lives, drives prosperity and restores nature.
She has over 25 years’ experience in the sustainability field and is passionate about the positive role that cities can play in tackling the climate crisis.
Championing the value of collaborative working, she has a proven track record in delivering award-winning, impactful services that reduce carbon emissions, deliver social and economic benefits, and build resilience to our changing climate.
Rachel Morrison
Senior Policy and Partnerships Officer
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Dr Rachel Morrison is a Senior Policy and Partnership Officer at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), where she leads major programmes focused on nature recovery and access to nature. Over the past two years, Rachel played a central role in the preparation and adoption of Greater Manchester’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) and now leads its delivery across the city-region. She has worked extensively with all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities, supporting them on nature recovery, biodiversity enhancement, and climate adaptation.
Rachel holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, and since 2012 has worked across the UK and Ireland at the intersection of environmental policy, biodiversity planning, and green finance — bridging the gap between environmental need and practical delivery.
Nina Howells
Strategic Lead - Social Value and Impact
Salford City Council
Nina Howells is Strategic Lead for Social Value and Impact at Salford City Council. Over the last 15 years, Nina has worked on a range of regeneration programmes, ensuring that local people benefit from development through making community and partner connections, developing policy and practice and employing a range of social value measurement tools alongside storytelling to drive impact for communities.
Nina has collaborated with colleagues and partners to ensure social value is embedded through the planning process in the city, moving social value beyond a procurement setting to lever private sector investment towards social purpose and maximise impact for places and communities through inclusive growth. She now leads the council-wide approach to social value and impact, building on firm foundations to ensure the council’s activities drive local impact and lasting change, and investment in the city leads to positive outcomes beyond bricks and mortar.
Nina is also the current chair of the Greater Manchester Social Value Network – a collective of public, private and voluntary sector, coming together to improve outcomes through social value by sharing learning and good practice.
Emma Degg MBE
Chief Executive
North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT)
Emma Degg is the Chief Executive of the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) that brings together leaders of national and international businesses with substantial commitments and interests in the North West of England. The Team works to exert its collective influence for the long-term good of the region, economically, environmentally, culturally and socially. Emma has spent her career focussed upon bringing together business leaders and policy makers to make a tangible difference, nationally, across the region and in local government.
She serves on the UK2070 independent House of Lords Commission and is a Trustee of 'Best For Britain'. In addition, Emma is a Board Member of Net Zero NW and SP Electricity North West's Independent Scrutiny Group. She was awarded an MBE for services to business in 2024 and was named as both Transformational Leader and Business Leader of the year 2026 at The Business Desk NW awards.
Amy House
Director
Green Economy
Amy House, Director, Green Economy. Amy is a charter Environmentalist with 20 years’ experience working with businesses at the heart of the net zero transition. As director of Green Economy supporting Local Authorities and working directly with businesses, she brings deep expertise in the enablers and barriers to local economic growth, the market failures affecting low‑carbon adoption, and the design of targeted interventions to unlock supply‑chain growth through the net zero transition.
Steve Connor
Programme Director
Cyanlines
Steve Connor is Programme Director of CyanLines, the Greater Manchester initiative to deliver over 100 miles of nature across the city region, connecting people wth nature while making the city more resilient to future climate shocks. He’s the founder and director of the ethical communications agency Creative Concern, and former chair of Manchester’s climate change partnership, the Bee Net Zero partnership and the Community Forest Trust.
Carragh Godolphin-Teague
Deputy Programme Director
CyanLines
Carragh Godolphin-Teague is Deputy Programme Director for CyanLines, leading programme development, strategic partnerships and delivery across the public, private and voluntary sectors. With more than 20 years of experience in parks management, green infrastructure, regeneration, community engagement and major event delivery, she has worked with a wide range of organisations to create lasting social and environmental impact. Before joining the CyanLines team, Carragh spent six years as General Manager of Heaton Park, overseeing one of the UK's most significant historic parks and leading a diverse programme of conservation, community engagement and major events. She is passionate about the role that nature, heritage, culture and community play in creating thriving places and improving quality of life.
Through collaboration and partnership, she works to tackle challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, access to green space and community wellbeing, helping to create greener, healthier and more resilient places for future generations.
Karen Young
National Director of Accountancy & Finance and business lead for Social Purpose
Hays UK & Ireland
Karen Young is National Director of Accountancy & Finance at Hays UK & Ireland and business lead for Social Purpose. With over 30 years' experience in recruitment, she leads one of the UK's largest finance recruitment businesses while championing programmes that improve employability, support social mobility, and create measurable social value.
Karen works closely with charities, clients, public sector organisations and community partners to develop collaborations that connect business expertise with social need. Passionate about the role businesses can play in creating positive change, she is a strong advocate for partnership-led approaches that deliver lasting impact for individuals, communities, and the wider economy.
Ross Harding
Head of Nature Based Solutions
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Awaiting Ross's profile.
Glasgow
Tuesday, 29 September 9:00 - 15:30 BST
With growing expectations from investors, regulators, employees, and customers, companies are under increasing pressure to set and deliver ambitious corporate goals aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To address complex sustainability challenges, build resilience, maintain short-term performance, and enable long-term growth, businesses must take meaningful action.
To support this journey, our SDG Roadshow is back, visiting Glasgow to take a deep dive into the SDGs. Delivered in partnership with DWF, the event will feature interactive workshops and high-level roundtables designed to explore how businesses can drive local action on the SDGs, build internal buy-in to embed the SDGs across core functions, and foster regional partnerships among sustainability professionals.
SPEAKERS
Tayler Henderson
Nature Lead
Scottish Power Transmission
Profile coming soon.
Gavin Slater
Head of Sustainability
Glasgow City Council
Aoife Hutton
Associate, Environmental Impact Assessment and Reporting
Scottish National Investment Bank
Prof Jamie Toney
Director of the Centre for Sustainable Solutions and Professor of Environmental and Climate Science
University of Glasgow
Prof Jamie Toney:
Jamie is the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Solutions and a Professor of Environmental and Climate Science. She leads the BECS research group that is focused on developing an understanding of organic molecules in modern organisms and environments that can be applied to analysing and interpreting past environments and climates. She is Principal Investigator of the NERC Strategic Programme: GALLANT: Glasgow as a Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation.
Jamie is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and a member of the Scottish Government's Clyde Mission Groups on Climate Adaptation and Net Zero, UKRI NERC Review College and Chair of the Geochemical Society's C.C. Patterson Award Committee.
Cheryl McCulloch
Senior Project Manager
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
Cheryl McCulloch: A core member of the Circular Glasgow team, Cheryl has a passion for working with businesses to support their growth and development through the adoption of circular principles. With a particular focus on engaging with the construction and built environment sectors, and manufacturing industry, Cheryl takes an innovative approach to raise awareness, connect SMEs and identify potential opportunities for business, whilst supporting with Glasgow’s ambitions to be a leading circular city.
With an academic background in law, Cheryl previously worked in leadership development, working with businesses across all sectors to bring them together and facilitate change.
Alison McRae
Senior Director
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
Alison McRae is Senior Director at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, responsible for creating a portfolio of strategic partnerships, working across a range of public and private organisations, which seek to innovate and anticipate new opportunities for Glasgow city region and its business community with demonstrable socio-economic impact. Her experience spans Board and C-suite level engagement and she specialises in identifying and then translating innovative concepts into tangible and commercial business outcomes across themes of climate, labour market & skills and innovation.
Alison leads an award-winning team whose work has been recognised by World Chambers of Commerce, World Economic Forum and the Global Good Awards.
Alison holds a range of Board positions including being a NED of British Chambers of Commerce and the Scottish Tourism Alliance; Independent Chair Argyll & Isles Tourism Strategic Partnership and Co-Chair of the Glasgow Employment & Skills Board. She is also Co-Chair of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Climate & Environment policy group and a member of the following groups: National Developing the Young Workforce Chairs Forum; BCC Green Innovation Challenge and the UK Business Group Alliance for Net Zero. Alison is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.
Previously, she was Director of Destination Liverpool with Liverpool City Council and prior to that an her own creative consultancy Blue Toucan as well as being a BBC Radio Scotland Broadcaster. Alison holds a Masters in Architecture from Trinity College, Cambridge University.
Elliot Ross
Executive Director
Just Transition Commission
Profile coming soon.
Uzma Khan
Vice Principal for Economic Development and Innovation and Deputy Chief Operating Officer
University of Glasgow
Uzma Khan joined the University of Glasgow in November 2020. Her role includes overseeing several corporate functions that support the University’s approach to delivering its latest strategy ‘World Changers Together - Strategy 2025’, including Planning, Research and Innovation Services, and Economic Development.
In her capacity as Vice-Principal, Uzma has responsibility for ensuring delivery of the University’s innovation ambitions and in articulating the contribution and impact of innovation activity on the city, region, and national economy.
Uzma currently holds a number of non-executive director and trustee roles including at the David Hume Institute, The Poverty Alliance and more recently, has joined CodeBase.
Prior to joining the Higher Education sector, Uzma spent 20 years in the civil service as a professional economist in Scottish Government, providing economic advice and analysis across a range of sectors and portfolios, including economy, health, transport and lifelong learning.
Caroline Colliston
Executive Partner Scotland
DWF
Caroline leads DWF's tax practice in Scotland. Working as part of a UK wide team of tax specialists Caroline provides commercial tax advice and share schemes advice to a broad range of DWF's clients across a wide variety of sectors.
Caroline has expertise in Scottish taxes, in particular, land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) and UK employment taxes including IR35, employment status and national minimum wage.
Caroline also provides advice and support to clients facing tax and national minimum wage enquiries and investigations by HMRC.
Caroline sits on the Law Society of Scotland's Tax sub-committee and LBTT working group.
Caroline is also a member of the UK employment taxes sub-committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the employment taxes working group of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Caroline is Scottish Government's appointed Chair of the Business Leadership Group of the Scottish Business Pledge. Caroline sits on the advisory board of Business in the Community Scotland (www.bitc.org.uk) and the Women in Tax Scotland committee.
Belfast
Friday, 2 October 9:00 - 15:30 BST
With growing expectations from investors, regulators, employees, and customers, companies are under increasing pressure to set and deliver ambitious corporate goals aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To address complex sustainability challenges, build resilience, maintain short-term performance, and enable long-term growth, businesses must take meaningful action.
To support this journey, our SDG Roadshow is back, visiting Belfast to take a deep dive into the SDGs. Delivered in partnership with DWF, the event will feature interactive workshops and high-level roundtables designed to explore how businesses can drive local action on the SDGs, build internal buy-in to embed the SDGs across core functions, and foster regional partnerships among sustainability professionals.
SPEAKERS
Julie Galbraith
Managing Partner
DWF Belfast
Julie advises a number of retailers and commercial occupiers in relation to their property requirements and portfolio management in Northern Ireland.
She acts for a number of developers and investors undertaking acquisitions and disposals with specific expertise in negotiating commercial and residential development agreements.
Julie has advised a number of investors and financial institutions in relation to their asset management with expertise in the management of shopping centres and retail parks.
Julie advises on Northern Ireland's complex business tenancies legislation and regularly provides representation at the Lands Tribunal for Northern Ireland.
She acts for a number of clients in the retail, food, and hospitality sectors and heads up both this sector and the real estate sector for Northern Ireland.
Carmel Giblin
CEO
Ethical Supply Chain Program
Carmel Giblin is the President & CEO of the Ethical Supply Chain Program and has been with the organisation since February 2015. She is responsible for the overall success of ESCP globally.
Carmel believes passionately that businesses globally have a duty to behave responsibly, at all times protecting the rights of their workers, the communities in which they operate and the environment in which they live and work and is proud to be part of the world’s leading initiative committed to improving the lives of workers involved in toy and juvenile products production.
Before joining the Ethical Supply Chain Program, Carmel was the CEO of Sedex for five years – an organisation that, under her leadership, grew to become the largest technology and services company operating in the responsible sourcing sector globally.
Carmel’s earlier roles include: Head of Corporate Responsibility & Accessibility at Sky, Europe’s leading entertainment company, Buyer at retailers Somerfield, Waitrose, and Exxon Mobil and in supplier organisations Britvic Soft Drinks and Allied Domecq in roles that included customer management, risk management and organisational design and effectiveness reviews.
Debbie Caldwell
Climate Commissioner
Belfast City Council
Debbie Caldwell
Debbie Caldwell is the Climate Commissioner for Belfast City Council. She is an experienced climate change specialist with over 20 years’ experience working in international development in countries including Bangladesh, Nigeria and Rwanda. She leads the Council’s climate work and co-chairs the Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board and the Belfast Climate Commission.
Prior to joining the Council, Debbie led the design and delivery of climate investments in Asia and Africa. In Bangladesh, Debbie led a £5m development project supporting vulnerable communities living in the coastal zone and a series of scoping studies to support the design of a planned £200 million climate programme. She also advised the Government of Rwanda for several years on its national climate fund (now the largest national climate fund in Africa) and the Green City pilot project in Kigali. Debbie moved to Belfast in 2018 after 17 years living and working in Africa and Asia.
Claire Hanna
MP for Belfast South and Mid Down
Claire Hanna
Born in Connemara, Galway, Claire has lived in South Belfast since the age of three and attended St. Bride’s Primary School followed by Rathmore. She has an Honours Degree in International Relations and a Masters in Law.
Prior to elected politics, Claire worked in international development, in a range policy and education roles, taking her to parts of the world such as Haiti, Zambia and Bangladesh. Her passion for international development and humanitarian affairs has endured and is a major inspiration to her political interests and activities.
Claire was first elected as a Councillor for Belfast City Council in 2011 for the Balmoral DEA, having been subsequently re-elected in 2014. In 2015, she was co-opted into the Northern Ireland Assembly as an MLA, and re-elected in 2016 and 2018 until her election to Parliament in 2019 and re-election in 2024.
In Council, she brought the motion that led to Belfast becoming the first Living Wage Council in Northern Ireland – paying a fair wage to all employees – and restricted use of Zero Hour Contracts. She also successfully introduced measures to combat the rise of predatory payday lending. She fought to amend Belfast City Council procurement policies to allow exclusion of companies engaged in tax evasion.
Continuing her passion for international development issues, she set up and chaired the first All Party Group on International Development. In addition, Claire introduced legislative proposals to increase the provision of free childcare to 20 hours and sought to introduce a law to protect mothers breastfeeding in public. Claire now sits on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in Westminster. She is the SDLP's Spokesperson for Europe and International Affairs.
Clare Guinness
CEO
Belfast Chamber
Daniel Egerton
Head of ESG
Eakin Healthcare
Joshua Watts
Facilitator, Northern Ireland CleanTech Cluster
Sustainable Ventures; and
Chief Innovation Coach
Innovate; and
Board of Directors Member Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL)
Josh is the Facilitator for the NI CleanTech Cluster, funded by Invest NI and powered by Sustainable Ventures, bringing entrepreneurs, academics, capital, and government together for the Green Economy. He is a Director of Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL) and previously led the National Trust's Greater Belfast portfolio.
Diane Emerson
Director, UKIMEA Environment, Climate and Sustainability Leader
Arup
Diane leads work addressing major global challenges including climate change, nature recovery and social inequality, with a strong focus on sustainability and resilience. She is highly client facing, advising leading UK organisations and government across energy, transport, water, finance and property.
Diane is also a Chartered Environmentalist, contributing to global decarbonisation and sustainability debates, as well as a Member of the Belfast Climate Commission, shaping the city’s response to the climate emergency.
Stephen Jones
Acting Climate NI Manager / Resilience Co-ordinator
Climate Northern Ireland
Stephen has over a decade of experience co–ordinating climate adaptation across the island of Ireland, and analysing adaptation policy across the UK. He is currently playing a core role in both the UKRI-funded ‘Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Hub’ and as partner with Belfast City Council on the EU Horizon-funded ‘Pathways2Resilience’ Programme.
From 2017-20, he supported Derry City and Strabane District Council through development of the first climate change adaptation plan in the region, and now leads the Local Government Climate Action Network which has membership of all 11 councils and other agencies, enabling creation of climate adaptation plans across NI.
Stephen has delivered bespoke climate resources and communication tools for public, private and academic partners across a diverse range of sectors, from Health to Agriculture. In November 2021, he led a session on Local Government Climate Action in the Green Zone at the International COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. He was a Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action (SECA) at Queen’s University Belfast, and previously worked as an Adaptation Analyst for the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC).
Bristol
Thursday, 8 October 9:00 - 15:30 BST
With growing expectations from investors, regulators, employees, and customers, companies are under increasing pressure to set and deliver ambitious corporate goals aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To address complex sustainability challenges, build resilience, maintain short-term performance, and enable long-term growth, businesses must take meaningful action.
To support this journey, our SDG Roadshow is back, visiting Bristol to take a deep dive into the SDGs. Delivered in partnership with DWF, the event will feature interactive workshops and high-level roundtables designed to explore how businesses can drive local action on the SDGs, build internal buy-in to embed the SDGs across core functions, and foster regional partnerships among sustainability professionals.
SPEAKERS
Jessie Agnew
Green Skills and Retrofit Manager
West of England Combined Authority
Jessie Agnew is the Retrofit and Green Skills Manager at the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, where she leads work to support the development of the green skills ecosystem needed for a successful transition to net zero. In this role, she works across education, training, industry, community and public sector partners to increase access to green skills opportunities, strengthen green career pathways, and help meet the growing demand for low-carbon and retrofit skills across the region.
A passionate advocate for inclusive green careers, Jessie has led initiatives to develop green careers resources, support careers and employment services, and build collaboration between employers, training providers and local stakeholders. Her work focuses on ensuring that people are equipped with information to benefit from the opportunities created by the transition to a greener economy.
Lizzi Testani
CEO
Bristol Climate and Nature Partnership
Lizzi Testani, CEO, Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership (BCNP). BCNP is a network of over 1,400 organisations working for a zero-carbon, nature-rich, and socially just Bristol. The Partnership supports a movement via a core programme of inclusive events like monthly Green Mingles and annual Partnership-wide gatherings; leads citywide action through initiatives like the Climate Action Programme (working with businesses) and Community Climate Action Project (working with communities); and collaborates with Bristol City Council and other partners represented on the One City Environment Board and beyond to align regional strategies and accelerate climate and nature goals.
Lizzi was born and grew up in Bristol and has led the Partnership since 2019, driving collaborative strategies for climate and nature recovery. With experience in environmental and social justice projects in the UK and US, she champions inclusive, community-led approaches and works closely with regional partners to deliver Bristol’s One City Climate Strategy and a fair transition to net zero.
Douglas Ure
CEO
Business West
Douglas Ure, CEO, joined Business West in January 2026 from Marsh McLennan, a global professional services firm, where he held various leadership positions in the UK and Asia. Douglas’s experience includes leading high-performance teams and developing strategic partnerships across both the private and public sectors. He has advised clients on risk, strategy and transformation.
Poku Osei
CEO
Babbasa
Dr Poku Osei, MSc, FRSA - Social Impact & Social Sustainability Leader
Poku Osei is an award-winning social impact leader and adviser with over 15 years’ experience helping businesses, public institutions and communities turn social ambition into measurable outcomes. Founder of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise-winning social enterprise Babbasa and Founder & Chief Executive of Merop Consulting, he advises leaders on corporate responsibility, social mobility, workplace inclusion, stakeholder engagement and inclusive growth.
His cross-sector work includes collaborations with organisations such as the World Economic Forum, NatWest, Arup and the NHS, alongside major civic and educational institutions. His work combines commercial understanding with systems leadership to help organisations create lasting value for business and society.
Poku’s recognitions include the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize, Business Person of the Year, NHS Inclusive Leader Award and Lord Mayor’s Medal, alongside Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts. He is also a TEDx speaker and has received royal recognition for his contribution to communities and social mobility.
With experience spanning Africa and the UK, Poku brings a global perspective to responsible leadership - connecting business performance with inclusive economic opportunity, community impact and long-term social value.
Chloe Barratt
Project Manager and Green Lead on the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP)
Business West
Chloe Barratt: Chloe is the Project Manager and Green Lead on the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) team at Business West. The LSIP is a central government funded research project working to help ensure post-16 technical education and training align with business needs. Chloe leads the clean energy and green skills research and engagement.
Judith Langdon
Head of City Office
Bristol One City
Judith Langdon is Head of the City Office, the team that convenes and drives Bristol’s One City approach, bringing together partners from the public, private, voluntary, community and academic sectors to address Bristol's long-term opportunities and challenges. Hosted by Bristol City Council, the City Office works across organisational, sectoral and geographical boundaries to enable collaboration, shared ambition and collective action. In leading the One City approach, Judith oversees the Bristol City Council's international service, helping to connect Bristol with partners around the world and fostering global collaboration that strengthens the city's social, economic and sustainability ambitions.
With more than 25 years' experience spanning local government, higher education and cross-sector partnerships, Judith specialises in the intersection between public policy, civic leadership and local action. She has held several voluntary and trustee roles in her local community and serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Aberystwyth’s Social Innovation Research Group, helping to strengthen links between research and practice. Her work is driven by a belief that complex challenges are best addressed through strong relationships, shared purpose and partnerships that transcend traditional boundaries.
Dr Alice Venn
Senior Lecturer in Climate Law and Policy
University of Bristol
Alice Venn
Dr Alice Venn is a Senior Lecturer in Climate Law and Policy at the University of Bristol specialising in climate justice and human rights. Her work explores the development of more inclusive approaches to decision making on just transition to a low carbon future and how to strengthen legal protections for communities experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, both in the UK and internationally. She is a longstanding member of the Bristol Advisory Committee on Climate Change and works closely with policymakers and civil society organisations to advise on climate action.
Rachel Jepson
Senior Sustainable Business Manager
Vodafone
Profile coming soon
Who should attend?
Senior decision-makers working within sustainability functions, or those who play a key role in shaping and influencing their organisation’s sustainability strategy and operations.
Why Participate?
- Gain practical tools, insights, and peer learning opportunities to help embed the SDGs into business strategy;
- Explore regional sustainability challenges and opportunities through place-based discussions tailored to local business contexts and investment priorities;
- Build valuable cross-sector partnerships to support collaboration on shared sustainability challenges;
- Strengthen internal leadership and organisational capability through expert-led sessions focused on driving sustainable business transformation;
- Demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to responsible business and measurable progress towards the SDGs, helping to build trust with stakeholders and communities.
Agenda
| Time | Activity |
| 09:00-09:30 | Coffee and Registration |
| 09:30-09:40 | Welcome Remarks: Localising the SDGs
With 2030 approaching, the business case for localising the SDGs has never been clearer. By strengthening supply chains, unlocking investment, and building partnerships through measurable regional impact, the SDG Roadshows turn ambition into action. |
| 09:40-10:00 | Making Connections
Introductions and conversations |
| 10:00-11:30 | World Café: A Place-Based Approach to the SDGs
Participants will come together to explore the core enablers that accelerate SDG progress, shaped by the distinct economic, social, and environmental realities of each city. Grounded in regional priorities and market dynamics, discussions will focus on turning high-level commitments into practical, locally relevant strategies that deliver tangible impact. |
| 11:30-12:00 | Coffee Break & Networking |
| 12:00-13:00 | Catalysing Partnerships: Turning Local Insight into SDG Impact
Achieving the SDGs requires an unprecedented effort across all aspects of society, and multi-stakeholder collaboration sits at the heart of it. In this session, attendees will be joined by a diverse group of leaders, including business, civil society, local government, and/or academia, for an interactive discussion on how to enhance collaborative working across industry and remit to create impactful, regional networks which advance SDG action. |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Break & Networking |
| 14:00-15:15 | Taking Action: Peer-to-Peer Exchange
A structured session to enable participants to gain ideas and advice to help unlock a current sustainability challenge. This may include solidifying priority SDGs, thinking about who needs to be influenced inside (and outside) the organisation, or how to secure buy-in from senior leadership stakeholders. |
| 15:15-15:30 | Closing Remarks: From Local Action to Lasting Impact
As the day closes, we reflect on the insights and partnerships surfaced, focusing on what they mean for action in each region. Participants will leave ready to move from dialogue to delivery, identifying the commitments and collaborations needed to drive measurable impact on the road to 2030. |
Contact
For any questions about the SDG Roadshow, please contact Alexandra Ranft or Katie Stuart.
With thanks to our facilitation partner:
