Dr Ed Suttie, Research Director, BRE

Dr Ed Suttie is the Research Director of BRE, the home of BREEAM and a world leading international built environment science and research business. Ed is passionate about material sustainability, health and wellbeing in the built environment, people and forestry. He is involved in research into the health and well-being qualities of materials used in the fit out of offices, schools and healthcare buildings. He has completed work with a Scandinavian led-consortium on the health and wellbeing benefits of wood in interiors. Ed is the BRE lead for a pioneering office refurbishment study deploying biophilic design that will generate evidence of occupant benefits of a human centred workplace. He is also Executive Group member for Grown in Britain.

David Bourque, Director of Development, the National Forest

David is an award winning marketer who is passionate about delivering high profile campaigns for social, health and environmental causes. He works for the National Forest Charity, leading the Our National Forest campaign to help businesses, communities and visitors reconnect with the natural world. With over 8.7 million trees planted across the Midlands, the National Forest is one of boldest environmentally-led regeneration projects in the country. Previously, he was a Director at British Cycling, responsible for managing Sky Ride, the biggest UK mass participation programme.

Sean Sutcliffe, director, Benchmark Furniture

Sean Sutcliffe is co-founder of Benchmark, one of Britain's leading furniture makers and widely regarded as the UK's powerhouse of craft. Sean cares deeply about environmental sustainability and craftsmanship and has been an active promotor of the health and well-being benefits of using solid timber furniture in both commercial and residential projects for many years. Benchmark runs an award winning apprenticeship scheme, has twice won the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development and is proud to be at the forefront of the development of environmental Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) in furniture making.

Eleanor Brough, Associate, Sarah Wigglesworth Architects

Eleanor is a graduate of Cambridge University and University College London and has worked for over ten years with SWA delivering a number of award-winning buildings. She was made Associate 5 years ago and In 2016 won the RIBA North West Project Architect of the Year Award for her work on Mellor Primary School, an exemplar rural school project. She has expertise in the education, housing and cultural sectors and currently heading up an urban regeneration project in Nottingham, UK and is leading the initial design stages of an new nursery in a riverside rural site near Huddersfield.

Oliver Heath, Architect, Oliver Heath Design

Oliver Heath is an Architectural and Interior Designer and a recognised global expert in Biophilic Design. His work is expressed in number of mediums including the built environment, writing and the media; having worked for a number of television channels including BBC, ITV channel 4 and the National Geographic channel. His last book Urban Eco Chic (Quadrille) sold over 30,000 copies in 6 languages. He has acted as a spokesperson for the likes of the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and is currently a Biophilic Design Ambassador for Interface.

Oliver Jones, Director of Research, Ryder Architecture

Oliver has recently been appointed as Director of Research at the award winning international practice Ryder Architecture to manage and develop the businesses growing research power. Prior to this he has spent the last ten years developing expertise in healthy building and wellbeing design strategies. He champions innovation across the UK construction sector and continues to assist UK and international AEC companies to develop research and innovation strategies. He regularly speaks publicly on research and innovation, healthy buildings and driving the healthy buildings movement. Oliver has a passion for biophilic design, natural materials and trees in general. He is also a member of Historic England's Expert Advisory Group (EAG).

DaeWha Kang, Lead Designer, DaeWha Kang Design

DaeWha Kang is a designer, artist, and architect who has spent the last twenty years studying and building architecture around the world. He believes in the possibility of design to uplift the spirit, challenge the intellect, and strengthen the body and mind. He founded DaeWha Kang Design in 2014 as a multidisciplinary design practice focused on measurably improving wellbeing through architecture and design. The studio's international projects have won multiple awards, including the American Architecture Prize, The Korea Ministry of Land Prize for project of the year, among others.

Dr Alex Morris, Head of Workplace Wellbeing & Behavioural Change Psychologist, Mitie

Alex has over 20 years' experience as a psychologist and is passionate about promoting well-being and utilising her experience to support organisations and their people to thrive. She is a Chartered Psychologist, a Chartered Scientist and Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society (BPS). She has a PhD in Health Psychology and is also a registered UKCP Psychotherapist. Alex is Mitie's psychological well-being and behavioural change expert who heads up all aspects of the wellbeing consultancy. In previous roles, she has worked as a leadership and occupational psychology consultant, working with C-suite executives in many blue-chip organisations and also offered long and short-term therapy in the NHS and private practice.

Meredith Bowles, Director, Mole Architects

Meredith Bowles is founding director of Mole Architects. He trained as an architect at Sheffield University, the Royal College of Art and the Architectural Association in London. After working as an architect in New York, Taiwan and London, Meredith established Mole Architects in 1997. He was a member of the RIBA Awards Group 2012-2016, serving as Chair on the RIBA House of the Year Award. He is a vice-chair on the Cambridge Quality Panel, and co-Chair of the Suffolk Design Review Panel. Meredith has taught architecture at Sheffield University and the University of Cambridge, and served as an External Examiner to Sheffield Hallam University 2014-17. He regularly writes in the national press, has appeared on BBC and Channel 4 programmes, and is a Trustee of the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry. He regularly contributes to conferences on architecture and urban design.

Colin Wheatley, Product Manager, MEDITE SMARTPLY

Colin Wheatley is a passionate timber scientist with over 10 years’ industry experience in the manufacturing of innovative wood panels. A Bachelor of Science in Wood Science & Technology, Colin is the resident technical expert for MEDITE SMARTPLY and consults for clients across both UK and international markets. Most recently he has been involved in timber wellness focused debates with The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in late 2018, as well as taking part in a strategical industry event with the Structural Timber Association (STA).

David Hopkins, Managing Director, Timber Trade Federation, Board Member, Trada

David Hopkins is known for being the Managing Director at the Timber Trade Federation and a board member of Wood for Good. In his former occupation as an environmental journalist, David worked for the Times, Guardian, Independent and BBC as well as editing a number of trade and industry titles focused on utility and environmental markets. He was formerly a co-founding director of Carbon International, a clean-technology and environmental industries market development consultancy, and his clients have included the London Stock Exchange, the World Bank, a variety of blue- and green- chip energy, water and waste majors, early stage technology start-ups and their investors, and all points in between. David is a founder and non-executive director of low-carbon community charity Carbon Leapfrog – providing pro-bono professional services for social enterprise.

Alex de Rijke, Director, dRMM Architects

Alex de Rijke is a founding director of the Stirling prize winning architecture practice dRMM. He oversees the concept, construction and delivery of well-known timber projects, including Maggie's Oldham, Rundeskogen in Norway, Sliding House, Endless Stair, Tower of Love in Blackpool, Kingsdale School Hall and the 2017 Stirling Prize winning Hastings Pier. Through his leadership, dRMM has become a recognised pioneer in engineered timber design and construction. As dean of Architecture at the Royal College of Art from 2012-2015, he encouraged design leadership as well as a culture of invention, research, and speculation with an emphasis on construction. Alex is a visiting professor to the Royal College of Art and external examiner to the London Architectural Association.

Prof. Callum Hill, Senior Visiting Research Fellow; University of Bath; Director, JCH Industrial Ecology Limited

Professor Callum Hill graduated with a first-class honours degree in chemistry from Bristol university in 1977. He moved on to conduct research into lipids in blood, before taking up a post at the then School of Materials Science at Bath University, where he worked on polymer degradation. He gained a PhD in the use of organometallic macrocyclic materials as gas sensors at Bristol Polytechnic, before returning to Bristol University to research into non-aqueous colloidal systems. He then moved to Bangor University to undertake research into materials for non-linear optical applications. He started his research in wood science in 1994, when he joined the then School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences at Bangor University. He moved to Edinburgh Napier University in 2007 to take up a position as the Edinburgh Research Partnership Chair in Renewable Materials, where he remained until 2013. He has been a director of JCH Industrial Ecology Ltd (a consultancy that provides advice on all matters concerned with sustainability) since 2010. Prof. Hill has published over 200 research papers, 7 book chapters and 2 text books. He has been researching and providing consultancy advice for over ten years. He is a Global Expert at the InnoRenew Centre of Excellence, Koper, Slovenia and a Senior Consultant at the Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research in Ås, Norway.

Christiane Lellig, Campaign Director, Wood for Good

A specialist in behaviour change and sustainability communications, Christiane has led national research programmes and campaigns in various fields, ranging from environmental concerns to labour and social justice issues since 1999. She has co-founded two international organisations connecting marketing and behaviour change professionals across the globe. As campaign director of the timber industry's sustainability campaign Christiane promotes the use of wood in design and construction.

Dr Rick Wheal, Principal, Elementa Consulting

Dr Rick Wheal is a Principal with Elementa Consulting, with specialisms in renewable energy, passive design and sustainable development. A former researcher, lecturer and educationalist, Rick brings a unique perspective to the built environment and his contributions are valued by investors, clients, architects and the occupants of buildings. Over twenty-five years' of professional experience has shaped Rick's philosophy towards humanity and how to embed the tenets of social, environmental and economic values into the built environment. With degrees from Manchester, Bangor, Reading and Nottingham, Rick is well-qualified to speak authoritatively on sustainable challenges and is a respected speaker and writer in the press.

Pablo van der Lugt, Head of sustainability, Accsys Technologies

Pablo received his Masters degree at the Faculty of Architecture of Delft University of Technology and remained there to undertake his PhD in the TU Delft Design for Sustainability programme. He has worked in the building industry, on both the supply side and purchasing side, while maintaining a strong link with science through lecturing and research. Initially joining Accsys Group in 2012 as a Sustainability Consultant, he progressed to Head of Sustainability in 2015. He oversees all environmental assessments, the achievement and maintenance of key eco-labels and environmental certifications for Accsys Group's modified timber and panel products Accoya and Tricoya, and developing a sustainability network around Accsys Group for increased application in the timber industry and circular economy / C2C inspired projects. He has written several books on bamboo design, architecture and sustainability, and his research findings are regularly published in popular magazines and scientific journals.

Chris Sutton, Managing Director, James Latham

Chris is a graduate of life and thoroughly enjoys meeting people at all levels and from all walks of life. He has spent many years visiting suppliers and customers to develop long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships. As well as managing director of James Latham, which has been importing and distributing timber in the UK for more than two and a half centuries, he is currently a director of the UK Timber Trade Federation and is extremely passionate about environmental and sustainability issues. He is also committed to promoting wood as the planet's most natural, renewable resource and loves seeing innovative and creative ideas for new applications using wood. A long-time supporter of the great work that has been, and continues to be done in the National Forest, Chris sites it as one of his favourite places to visit.

Rupert Scott, Membership & Marketing Manager, TRADA

Following a degree in Production and Operations Management at Nottingham University, Rupert has pursued a diverse career for over 25 years in the woodworking and construction industries, spanning quality management, R&D, production management, marketing, and fire and regulation consultancy. Whilst working for a door manufacturer he became the named inventor of a patented fire door design. He also provided passive fire consultancy advice to the Historic Royal Palace Agency (which manages Hampton Court Palace, Tower of London and Kensington Palace) for over 2 years following the lessons learned from the fire at Windsor Castle. He was instrumental in the formation, launching and growth of Timber Expo from the outset and has remained committed to working on content and promoting the show ever since. Rupert now draws on much of this experience to help him in his current role as TRADA Membership & Marketing Manager. He is responsible for the strategic development and management of TRADA's membership strategy, events and exhibitions programme and marketing activities.

John Alexander, Director of Sales and Product Development, Accsys Technologies

John is responsible for Accsys Group Sales and Product Development, managing a team across the globe. Following degrees in Forestry and Forest Products from University of Wales, Bangor and an MSc in Timber Engineering from the University of Maine, USA, John's career in the wood product industry started in the technical arena as Composite Products Technical Manager for Jeld-Wen, USA, the world's largest manufacturer of windows and doors. The role encompassed improving and optimising product performance from technical and environmental measures. He then moved to BSW Timber, the largest forestry and sawmilling Group in the UK and worked extensively on both modified wood and home grown timber products before joining Accsys in 2010 as Head of Product Development and shortly after, joining the companies Senior Management Team. In 2015 John took on responsibility for Group Sales and joined the Accsys Operations Committee

Olga Turner, Director, Ekkist

Olga is a Chartered Surveyor and WELL Building Standard Accredited Professional, and is one of the first people in the UK to receive WELL Faculty™ status. She has a First Class BA Honours degree from the London School of Economics and an MSc in International Planning from UCL, and is an RICS Board Member for the UK Eastern Region. Olga has a strong track record of UK and international development projects, ranging from boutique schemes to large, mixed-use masterplans.
Beginning her career at Savills, she consulted on the Costa Navarino masterplan in Greece, the Sveti Marko Island redevelopment in Montenegro and the recently completed St Regis Astana hotel and residences in Kazakhstan.
Following a move to CBRE in 2015, Olga led the residential development consultancy for Peabody’s 7,000 unit Thamesmead masterplan and Capco’s Earl’s Court regeneration quarter, alongside other mixed-use and residential-led schemes. During this time, Olga was elected as a a member of the CBRE Junior Board and High Performance Programme.
In 2016, Olga was shortlisted as one of the industry’s ‘Rising Stars’ by the Estates Gazette and shortly after co-founded Ekkist. She now leads the consultancy services for Ekkist’s Build, Blueprint and Bespoke services for private individuals and developers, consulting on design for well-being and certification. She is regularly invited to speak as an expert on building design for health and well-being at national and international conferences, and is currently advising the UK Building Research Establishment (BRE) on the development of a new modular construction standard, as an expert in health and well-being.

Helen Hewitt, CEO, British Woodworking Federation

Helen Hewitt is CEO of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF). With extensive experience of working with membership organisations in a variety of manufacturing sectors, Helen joined the BWF as Membership Director in 2017.
Prior to joining the BWF, Helen held roles at a variety of organisations in the regulatory and education sectors, including Proskills UK, where she facilitated a schools Make-It programme, developed a number of apprenticeship standards and focused on attracting new talent into the timber and wood sectors. She has brought this passion for apprenticeships, ongoing training and development to the BWF to encourage the growth and development of the woodworking sector’s talent.
Helen is responsible for the BWF’s direction and operations, and championing its Build It Better with Wood ethos. She strongly believes that wood should be the building material of choice for all projects due to its health and wellbeing benefits, durability and sustainable properties.