BEN BACKWELL, CEO, Global Wind Energy Council

Ben Backwell is the CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the organisation that represents the private sector wind industry globally. Mr Backwell is a strategist and thought leader who has been involved in global energy markets for over 20 years, as a journalist, analyst, advisor and government affairs specialist. He is the author of “Wind Power: the struggle for a new global industry (Taylor and Francis, 2017) of which a third edition will be published in 2024 and a frequent media commentator. He sits on a number of advisory boards and committees in the renewable energy space, including the RE100, IRENA, GRA and IEA, and will be leading the wind sector’s intervention at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

JONATHAN COLE, CEO, Corio

Jonathan Cole is Chief Executive Officer of Corio Generation, the global offshore wind business launched in April 2022. Corio is a portfolio company of Macquarie Asset Management, operating on a standalone basis. Headquartered in London, Corio is home to one of the world’s largest offshore wind development portfolios, with 30+ GW projects in development in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. In addition to his role as Chairman of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Jonathan has held a number of other industry positions in recent years, including Chairman of the Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation, Chairman of the UK’s Offshore Wind Programme Board (appointed by the UK Secretary of State), Chairman of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s Industry Advisory Group, Board Member of RenewableUK, and Member of the UK’s Offshore Wind Industry Council. Prior to joining Corio, Jonathan helped create and then ran Iberdrola’s Offshore Wind Business from its inception in 2010 until late 2021. Under Jonathan’s leadership, the Offshore Wind Business grew to a market leading business, with around €14bn invested in a 30+ GW pipeline of projects and around 800 professional staff, located in four continents and 11 countries. Jonathan is a regular keynote speaker and panellist at various industry conferences.

AFSHEEN KABIR RASHID Co-Founder and CEO, Repowering London

Afsheen Kabir Rashid MBE is co-founder and CEO of Repowering, an organisation that specialises in creating local energy projects across London. Until recently Afsheen was chair of Community Energy England and a board member of Friends of the Earth. She was a senior policy advisor at the Department of Energy and Climate Change. She has close to 20 years’ experience working at local and national levels. She has a MA in Geography and MEnv in Environment, Science and Society as well as an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Essex. In 2016 Afsheen was awarded an MBE for her work delivering renewable energy to deprived London communities.