The implementation of the Climate Action Plan for Ireland: case study initiatives | WEBINAR

About the speakers and the chair

Chair

Gemma McCarthy | Senior Project Manager | Mott MacDonald

Gemma McCarthy is Mott MacDonald’s Dublin City lead and heads up the consultant team for the Irish onshore consents for the Celtic Interconnector. She is a member of the Association of Consulting Engineers Ireland (ACEI) Sustainability Committee.

Speakers

Francis Noel Duffy | TD | Green Party spokesperson on Housing

Professionally, Francis Noel Duffy is an architect and a former lecturer in the Dublin School of Architecture, TU-Dublin. He is now TD (member of the Irish Parliament, the Dáil) for Dublin South-West. The Green Party is a partner in the current Irish coalition government. Francis is a member of the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly which has a remit to oversee regional economic planning guidelines.

Dr Sabrina Dekker | Climate Action Coordinator | Dublin City Council

Dr Sabrina Dekker has worked in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation, renewable energy, urban planning and policy, and public health policy. Building on her international experiences, she welcomes interaction with diverse stakeholders to deliver projects focused on improving livelihoods in the context of environmental and social challenges.

Dr John Reilly | Head of Renewable Energy | Bord na Móna

Dr John Reilly is a member of Bord na Móna’s Senior Leadership team with specific responsibility for the operation and continued development of Bord na Móna’s expanding generation portfolio in the Irish electricity market. His team is currently leading a €1.6bn investment programme which will see the company add at least 1GW of new renewable assets to its fleet by 2030. John has over 20 years’ experience in the energy sector and was previously part of the Senior Management team at Edenderry Power, prior to its acquisition by Bord na Móna. He has worked for a number of major international utility players in the sector, such as the German utility E.ON and Fortum, a Finnish utility company. John, who is currently on the Board of the Electricity Association of Ireland, also sits on a number of policy committees across the energy sector and holds a PhD in Chemistry from UCD.

Charlie Coakley | Sustainability Policy Lead Irish Water | Irish Water

Charlie Coakley is an environmental scientist with over 20 years’ experience in a number of areas including, energy efficiency, water management and biodiversity. Charlie leads Irish Water’s dedicated sustainability policy team, developing and integrating sustainability policy and strategies. These policies and strategies are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG6 – clean water and sanitation.

Dr Lucy Corcoran | Research and Innovation Programme Executive | Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI

Dr Lucy Corcoran works in Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s Research and Technology Department, leading a range of energy research and innovation activities in support of Ireland’s low carbon energy transition. SEAI has an important role to play in leading and coordinating public support for energy research and innovation.

Denis Devane | Policy and Data Analyst | Wind Energy Ireland, WEI

Denis Devane has been Wind Energy Ireland’s (WEI) Policy and Data Analyst since 2018. As the Head of WEI’s Planning Committee, Denis specialises in solving planning and environmental issues that hinder the development of renewable energy projects. This work covering areas such as grid connections, planning decision timelines, industry response to draft County Development Plans etc. Previously Denis had lived in Denmark where he studied for an MSc in Environmental Sciences at Copenhagen University and worked for a climate and energy transition business periodical.