As Lead Negotiator for the UK COP26 Presidency, Archie led the process that resulted in all 197 parties agreeing the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ and finalising the Paris Agreement Rulebook at COP26 in November 2021. He has been the UK’s Lead Climate Negotiator since 2016, overseeing climate negotiations in the UNFCCC, EU, G7 and G20. He has a background in both international and domestic policy. Previous roles include Director International Climate & Energy; Deputy Director Americas & Head of South America Department in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Head of Delivery in the Department of Energy & Climate Change; and Deputy Director for Business, Environment and the Olympics in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael & St George (CMG) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.

Truman Semans is Chief Executive Officer of OS-Climate (OS-C), a part of the Linux Foundation (LF). OS-Climate a breakthrough Open Source solution for climate-aligned finance, investing, and financial regulation. Using the proven Linux Foundation approach for community-driven projects to solve complex challenges, OS-Climate is a non-profit data and modeling platform that enables investment decisionmakers to run scenario-based predictive analysis for accurately forecasting and pricing risk and opportunity related to physical climate impacts and economic transition. Responding to the universal call for more rigorous, transparent, and affordable climate data, OS-C’s Data Commons will provide corporate and other climate related data as a public good.

Previously, Truman was CEO of Element Capital Advisors, helping family offices and foundations integrate climate and ESG into their portfolios. He was a Partner of strategy consultancy GreenOrder, helping clients including private equity firms, Morgan Stanley, Google, GM, GE, Duke Energy, SABIC, and DuPont drive growth and profitability through investments in environmental innovation, resource efficiency, and clean technology. Truman led the Pew Business Environmental Leadership Council, and he co-founded the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) and the U.S. Partnership for Renewable Energy Finance (USPREF). Truman consulted with McKinsey & Co., served as the U.S. Treasury Department International Economist for global environment, and was the financial mechanisms lead on the U.S. Climate Change Negotiating Team.

He has an MBA and BA from Duke University and a Masters in International Economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS. He serves on the Investment Committee of the National Wildlife Federation and the Advisory Board of Coast Capital, LLC.

David is responsible for driving safety and engineering excellence across the National Grid group. His remit covers all technologies, including electricity, gas, hydrogen and carbon capture, and extends across all group operations in both the UK and US.

He is an expert in safety and resilience, providing strategic oversight to National Grid’s engineering activities and capabilities, including assurance to the Board.

David is also the company’s engineering ambassador, responsible for growing our engineering credentials at the heart of the energy transition. He advises governments and other key stakeholders, helping to solve the engineering challenges brought about by the transition to net zero.

David joined National Grid in 1992 as an electrical engineer. He has occupied senior management positions on both gas and electricity networks in the UK and US, including leading National Grid’s electricity transmission business in the UK for many years, and has also led our Gas Transmission operations, as well as teams in both the gas and electricity control centres.

Before joining National Grid, David worked for VSEL (now BAE Systems) – the only submarine
builder in the UK – designing electrical generation and distribution systems for warships.

He’s a Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Engineering and IET, a dual-accredited Chartered Engineer with both the IET and IGEM, and a member of the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) and a Major in the Staff Corps.

David was born in Wales and lives in Northamptonshire. He has two daughters and is passionate about rugby.

Deborah is a business leader, investor, TV personality and writer, well known for her appearances on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den.

Deborah launched her own glass and ceramics export company straight out of Business College and then went on to set up one of the first Stefanel fashion franchises in the UK. With several successful businesses in the leisure and retail sector under her belt, Deborah became Managing Director of the holiday park business Westar Holidays, acquired the major shareholding in a management buyout and later sold the company in a deal with Phoenix Equity Partners worth £33million whilst retaining a 23% stake. Following this, Deborah continued to innovate and develop the company, selling her remaining shares when the business was sold to Parkdean Holidays for £83m.

Deborah first appeared on Dragon’s Den in Series 3 and is known for her environmental and ethical focus as well as being a shrewd and reasonable Dragon. The show has led her to invest and advise in all manner of businesses leading to a wide-ranging portfolio covering a variety of sectors from research and fashion to DIY and food. She continues to invest in businesses outside of Dragons Den and most famously saved Fox Brothers, Somerset’s oldest textile mill which now exports across the globe.

Deborah supports ethical, fair practice both in business and in life believing that taking care of the environment and wildlife is essential for our future security and wellbeing. She is actively involved in a carefully selected group of environmental charities; is a Fellow of the WWF, a Trustee of Tusk Trust, an Ambassador for Micro-loan Foundation, Marine Conservation Society and World Horse Welfare amongst others. She has become a CIWF Compassion Visionary.

In early 2022 Deborah co-hosted the first series of The Big Green Money Show with Felicity Hannah, looking at company impact on the planet as well as how sustainability can be viewed as an opportunity or an inconvenience.

Toddington is a second-generation solar energy and energy storage professional, whose parents pioneered some of the world’s first commercial deployments of solar energy and battery storage systems around 45 years ago. He has spent virtually his entire career focused on delivering sustainable energy solutions, including creating five successful sustainable energy and low carbon businesses which he has led as CEO over the last 20-years. Prior to founding GRIDSERVE Sustainable Energy Ltd, Toddington was co-founder and CEO of BELECTRIC UK (2010 & 2011 solar world market leader), responsible for the development, construction and financing of c.350 MWp of utility scale solar farm & solar rooftop projects, including a 3.5MWp 20-acre solar rooftop project for Rolls-Royce.

Toddington created GRIDSERVE to #deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change. GRIDSERVE’s first major success was winning the highest price battery storage enhanced frequency response contract with National Grid, where GRIDSERVE was awarded one of only seven successful contracts out of 208 tendered. Since then GRIDSERVE has grown from strength to strength. In 2019, against the odds of a year dominated by Brexit, GRIDSERVE pushed through, pioneering and delivering the UK’s largest and most technically advanced hybrid solar projects, becoming the UK solar energy and technology market leader.

In 2020 a year dominated by the global pandemic, and the country locking down multiple times, GRIDSERVE persistently and safely managed to open the UK’s first Electric Forecourt®, powered by solar energy and battery storage projects, designed to provide the best possible charging experience for electric vehicle drivers, and assist the uptake of net zero carbon electric vehicles in the earliest possible time frames. This was also supported with the launch of a new electric vehicle solution leasing business, in partnership with GRIDSERVE’s c.20% shareholder and strategic funding partner Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC.

In 2021, GRIDSERVE’s presence in the charging space accelerated when acquiring the UK’s biggest existing charging network from Ecotricity. GRIDSERVE invested millions of pounds to upgrade the newly-named GRIDSERVE Electric Highway network with new charging technology, contactless payment, real-time mapping as well as reducing pre-authorisation fees. The replacement of chargers was only the first step as the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway continues to expand to meet the needs of the electric vehicle market today. Already in 2022, six Electric Super Hubs have opened, each with 6 – 12 High Power Chargers, at Moto Motorway Service locations in Swansea, Exeter, Burton-in-Kendal, Thurrock, Severn View and Heston Westbound. GRIDSERVE continues to build its award-winning Electric Forecourts® with the latest location opening in Norwich this year.

Paddy Arber is Group Head of Government Engagement – Sustainability at Aviva, the UK’s largest insurer and a significant global investor. He works across Aviva’s investment and insurance arms to develop and advocate public policy that will help build a more sustainable global financial system. Most recently, he has been leading Aviva’s work in the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and UK Transition Plan Taskforce. He co-chairs the policy and government workstreams of GFANZ, the UN Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance and the Net Zero Insurance Alliance.

Before joining Aviva, Paddy spent a decade working for the British Government, specialising in public finance and international negotiations. He was a member of the UK team that helped deliver the Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2015, where he led an engagement team on climate change negotiations in the G20, G7 and UN Sustainable Development Goals. He also worked for six years in HM Treasury, notably in the cross-government unit that negotiated the EU’s long-term Budgets.

Given his background, Paddy is particularly interested in public-private collaboration to deliver climate and sustainability outcomes and believes the private sector must play a pivotal role in delivering the UN Paris and Sustainable Development Goal agreements. He holds degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Leeds.

Julia has been working in the field of climate and energy for the past two decades, focused on decarbonizing the industry sector. She is an experienced business developer with a track record of spearheading international projects and integrating sustainability and innovation into businesses and governments strategies.

Julia joined Breakthrough Energy in 2018. She has been shaping and implementing the organization’s activities and partnerships in Europe as well as internationally.

Prior to Breakthrough Energy, Julia served in a variety of leadership roles in the climate and energy sector – heading industry and energy innovation programs at the European Climate Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Institute for Industrial Productivity. She started her career as an analyst at the International Energy Agency. She has worked internationally with projects in Europe, China and India.

Julia holds a PhD with distinction in Economics and Industrial Strategy and a Masters in Corporate Strategy and Industrial Organisation from University Paris Dauphine.