Find your future in an environmental career
Panel event in partnership with Student Futures, Cardiff University
This online panel event is designed to inform and inspire students and graduates, throughout Wales, who are looking to incorporate the environment and sustainability into their future careers and showcase how organisations are tackling key environmental issues and addressing climate change.
Event Format:
Online Panel discussion, Q & A
Date:
Tuesday, 1 March 2022
Time:
17:15 – 18:45
Key aims and objectives
We’re inviting graduate employers, Cardiff University alumni and early career professionals working in the environmental sector to share their expertise and insights into how to navigate career opportunities within this sector and explore some of the challenges and opportunities within their industries.
Speakers will talk about their jouneys, showcase their research/live projects that reflect the work they do which has delivered positive impacts for the environment.
The panel will also answer questions from the Chair and audience which will offer an opportunity to debate some of the hot topics and discuss what it takes to be successful on this career path.
Hosts
This event will be hosted by Andy Schofield, Environment Platform Wales and chaired by Huw James who commands a worldwide audience with his science presentation, broadcasting and global adventuring skills.
Event Format
| 17:15-17:20 | Welcome and introductions |
| 17:20-18:00 | Hear from our speakers Each speaker introduce themselves, outline their career journeys, the key successes or challenges they have faced in the industry and share insights on pathways into the industry as well as opportunities and recommendations for those wishing to access the field. |
| 18:0018:43 | Event Chair: Questions to the panel and Q&A Our Chair will ask specific questions to each of the panel speakers. This is to address some of the key hot topics facing the industry and job seekers. Our chair will also open questions out to the student audience and our hosts will support by asking any questions that come from the audience (via the chat function or video) |
| 18:43-18:45 | Thank you and close |
Panellists/Speakers
Prof. Tony Harrington, Director of Environment, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water: Tony has developed his expertise and interest in environmental matters through leading a number of multi-disciplinary teams in support in the water sector and from within Government. He is both a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist, and a Fellow at CIWEM, ICE, and the LSW. In December 2011, after helping set up the Food and Environmental Research Agency for Defra as its Policy and Regulation Director, Tony took up his role of Director of Environment at DCWW, where he leads the Environmental, Innovation, and Science agendas for the business. Tony has a number of research-oriented Board appointments including that at UKWIR and Spring Innovation Ltd – the new UK water sector innovation company.
Joanna Goodwin, Technical Director, WSP: Joanna graduated from Cardiff University in 2002 with a degree in Civil Engineering Design and Management. She started her career as a civil engineering design consultant at Buro Happold in Bath and over the years has progressed to lead the Water Environment and Flood Risk technical discipline at WSP. A career in engineering is very broad and accessible to people from a wide range of educational backgrounds. Joanna’s team comprises a mix of graduates and apprentices from civil engineering, coastal engineering, mathematics, geography and the environmental sciences. Consideration of the environmental impacts and opportunities that can be realised by engineering projects is at the heart of the work delivered by WSP. Joanna will briefly discuss her career journey and present some of the projects she has been fortunate to work on and how key environmental issues and climate change have been embedded into their design.
Ffion Mitchel, Marine Conservation Society and Trustee of Wales Environment Link: Ffion Mitchell is a newly-appointed Trustee at Wales Environment Link; a network of environmental, countryside and heritage NGOs working across Wales. Based in North Wales, Ffion is the Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager for Wales at the Marine Conservation Society (MCS); the UK’s leading marine conservation charity. As an Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP), Ffion enjoys supporting prospective marine conservationists as a virtual professional mentor through the University of Plymouth, where she graduated with a Master of Science in Applied Marine Science in 2019.
Saran khan, Lead Environmental Process Engineer, Tata Steel: Saran is a Process Engineer working within the integrated steelworks of Tata Steel UK, in Port Talbot. Her role primarily focuses on environmental optimisation of the processes, with projects involving energy efficiency/decarbonisation, pollution control and sustainability. She graduated from the University of Strathclyde with an MEng in Chemical & Process Engineering before subsequently joining the graduate scheme for Tata Steel to work within the Health Safety Sustainability & Environment function. She then progressed through function as an Environmental Process Engineer and is currently the Lead Process Engineer.
Emma Thomas, Future Generations Manager, Griffiths Engineering: Emma is an experienced Director with a demonstratable history of working in the built environment sector with expertise in sustainability, waste, resource management, circular economy, energy efficiency, decarbonisation, environmental awareness, management systems and future generations. A graduate of the University of West of England, Emma subsequently completed an MSc, focusing on Quality and Environmental Management, at the University of South Wales. . She holds several positions including; Commissioner with the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales, Chartered Waste Manager status with the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM), CIWM Cymru Centre Councillor, and an Associate member of Institute of Directors (IOD). Working with the waste management industry, she authored Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 402:2013 Waste Resource Management – Specification for Performance Reporting. She has been heavily involved in the drafting of the Construction and Demolition Waste Sector Plan for the Welsh Government. Most recently, she has been working to deliver CEW’s circular economy and built environment strategy.
Dr. Josie Jackson, Specialist Advisor, Evidence Synthesis and Communications, Natural Resources Wales: Josie works in the Integrated Evidence Group of Natural Resources Wales (NRW), where her role supports the use, conduct, and commissioning of evidence syntheses. Evidence synthesis is the gathering of evidence from different sources together to support decision making. She works with international experts through the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence and provides user focused feedback on their Database of Evidence Reviews (CEEDER). Josie also advises staff on the effective communication of evidence to NRW’s wide range of audiences, from the public to policy makers. Her role acts as a bridge between research and policy by supporting staff to identify the evidence they need to make decisions and liaising with evidence providers (e.g. academics) to meet these needs. She is an honorary associate at Cardiff University and has a PhD in evolutionary biology/conservation genetics from University of Bath/Cardiff University.