Wed 30 Apr & Thu 01 May, Westminster, London
Dr Will Megarry – Reader in Archaeology at Queen’s University Belfast
Will’s research explores the intersections between climate change and cultural heritage with a specific focus on climate literacy for the heritage sector and climate risk assessments of heritage places. Between 2021 and 2024 he was Focal Point for climate change at the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) where he led and coordinated numerous initiatives and projects including the 2021 ICOMOS – UNESCO – IPCC International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage and Climate (ICM CHC), and ICOMOS contributions to the 2023 UNESCO Climate Action for World Heritage policy document. His research project include the 2021 Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded Values-based Climate Change Risk Assessment project which explored climate risk to African World Heritage properties, the 2023 Royal Irish Academy (RIA) funded World Heritage Tentative List Climate Risk Scoping Study which explored climate risk to sites on the Irish WH tentative list, and the National Geographic funded Preserving Legacies Project which continues to work to empower every community to safeguard their cultural and natural heritage against climate change. He remains an active field archaeologist and manages a long-standing project exploring stone tool production on Neolithic Shetland. He lives in Co. Down, Northern Ireland with his family.
Kate Guest – Historic England
Kate Guest is a Senior Policy Adviser (Climate Change) in the Policy Development Department at Historic England. In her current role, she provides advice to government on national policy development related to climate change risk and adaptation planning. This includes working on projects to develop the evidence base for climate change risk to heritage, and developing approaches to adaptation, including the climate-driven loss of heritage assets. Kate has worked at Historic England, and previously English Heritage, for over 12 years within various areas of policy and strategy.
Cllr Ryan Jude – Westminster City Council & Local Government Association
Cllr Ryan Jude has represented Lancaster Gate ward since 2022. Ryan grew up in the North West, and originally moved to London to study at Imperial College London. He now leads a team at an environmental non-profit, advising the UK Government on green finance policy and working closely with businesses, councils and third sector organisations, following previous roles in finance focused on renewable energy and infrastructure.
Ryan was previously Deputy Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Biodiversity, since May 2022, and co-authored the Labour Group’s green manifesto ahead of the local elections. He is also on the Board of a charity supporting vulnerable people in the North West. Portfolios include: Climate and ecological Action; Libraries and Registrars; Culture and Tourism; Parks and Open Spaces.
Dr Mairi H. Davies, Historic Environment Scotland
Mairi is Climate Change Policy Manager at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), supporting the organisation in leadership on climate change and delivery of its Climate Action Plan 2020-2025. Previously an Inspector of Ancient Monuments, she is an Archaeology graduate of the Universities of Edinburgh and Durham, with a particular interest in the relationship between human activity and environmental change. She is a former Co-Chair of the European Association of Archaeologists’ Climate Change and Heritage Community. Dr Davies was on the Steering Groups for Dynamic Coast: Scotland’s National Coastal Change Assessment and several other climate change risk and adaptation projects, include Edinburgh Adapts. She was a member of the project teams for the EU Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme-funded Adapt Northern Heritage, the Scottish Universities Insights Institute-funded Learning from Loss: Transformation in the Historic Environment in the Face of Climate Change and the pilot Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) project in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. She was subsequently on the Steering Groups for the Royal Society of Edinburgh-funded CVI Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, the Antonine Wall and St Kilda World Heritage Sites and UK Government-funded CVI Africa. She is a principal author of an influential major report on climate change risk assessment on the HES Estate. She was lead co-author of the Cultural Heritage scientific review for the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP).
Matt Rabagliati, UK National Commission for UNESCO
Matt is UKNC’s Head of Policy, Research and Communications. He manages the organisation’s Theory of Change and Delivery Framework with the UK Government. He leads the organisation’s fundraising, research and business development with the Secretary-General, and the Climate Change and UNESCO Heritage Project and the Local to Global Programme.
Dr Mick Atha, Newcastle University
Mick’s research interests draw upon his background in the archaeological sciences and long-standing interest in landscape approaches to the human past. He is fascinated by the ways that past people, when faced with particular socio-political and historical circumstances, engaged with the world around them and inscribed the physical environment with layers of social meaning, thereby creating culturally significant places, and the historic features and landscapes we encounter today. His present role within the Newcastle University team supports the key objective of ensuring the sustainability of Hadrian’s Wall’s OUVs by hard-wiring resilience and adaptation to climate change into the ongoing management of the WHS and its communities.
Jenny Bruce, Old & New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site
Jenny is Coordinator for the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site. She splits her time between the City of Edinburgh Council and Historic Environment Scotland and has worked in heritage for two decades. She has recently drafted the fourth Management Plan for the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site on behalf of its management partners, and co-authored the Climate Vulnerability Index Assessment for the Site, published in 2023, which details the first application of this methodology in an urban context.
Yann Grandgirard, Edinburgh World Heritage
Yann is Head of Climate Change at Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH), leading the organisation’s response to the climate emergency. Trained as a civil engineer in France, Yann has more than 15 years of experience in project management in the construction sector, from the client’s perspective. Yann joined Edinburgh World Heritage in 2017 to manage the Canongate Housing Energy Efficiency and Conservation project. Since 2020, he has been developing and managing EWH’s climate emergency programme. This includes the delivery of innovative pilot projects, guidance, training and advocacy focusing on sensitive energy retrofit interventions and climate change adaptation in the context of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site.
Dr Paul Lankester, English Heritage
Paul is the Climate Resilience Lead at English Heritage. Paul’s PhD research looked at the impact of climate change on historic interiors. Following this he worked as a conservation scientist at English Heritage for 11 years, moving to his current role in 2023 which focusses on understanding the impact of climate change on English Heritage, informing how the organisation can adapt and ensure the sites in care are climate resilient.
Joanne Robinson-Cheale, National Lottery Heritage Fund
Jo joined The National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2021 and is responsible for establishing a culture of environmental sustainability across the Heritage Fund. Sitting within the Business Services department, Jo has both an internal and external focus; reaching net-zero for the organisation’s operations as well as embedding environmental sustainability into the projects the Heritage Fund supports. Through their current strategy, Heritage 2033, The National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to support the heritage sector to become much more climate resilient and to support the wider transition to a low carbon future. Prior to joining the Heritage Fund, Jo led sustainability across five museums and two collections sites in her role at the Science Museum Group. Jo has a passion for science communication and engineering having previously developed educational programmes and events for the National Railway Museum, the University of Liverpool and the National Science and Media Museum. She has an MSc in Low Carbon Technologies and an MEng in Structural Engineering with Architectural Studies.
Drew Bennellick, National Lottery Heritage Fund
Drew joined the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2009 and sits within the Business Innovation and Insight Department as Head of Land, Sea and Nature Policy. Drew is responsible for providing policy direction and expert advice to Heritage Fund Trustees and operational staff on designed landscapes, countryside, habitats and species conservation, the marine environment and geodiversity. Drew is a chartered landscape architect with experience of both private and public practice. Before moving to the Heritage Fund Drew worked for several local authorities and latterly was Head of Partnerships in Historic England’s London Region. Drew leads two new strategic funding initiatives for Heritage Fund; Landscape Connections and Nature Towns and Cities. Drew is a Trustee of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust and a member of the National Trust Historic Environment Advisory Group.
Also speaking are Sarah Taylor from Natural England, and Keith Jones and Lizzy Carlyle, both from the National Trust.
