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Event Details. |
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Date: Monday 20th October 2025
Time: 10.00am – 2.30pm (Includes Light Breakfast & Lunch) Venue: In-person at ICC Belfast Booking:
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2025 Summit Speakers. |
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Michael Kelly
Leading Irish Social Entrepreneur | Author | Broadcaster Mick is the founder and CEO of GIY, a social enterprise that is creating a global movement of people who are reconnecting to real, whole foods for healthier, more sustainable lives. An Ashoka Fellow, TV presenter, public speaker, and author, Mick is passionate about the power of food growing experiences to give people an understanding of food and the food system ('food empathy') that leads to transformational outcomes and pro-environmental behaviours and mindset change. The author of 5 books and alumnus of Harvard Business School and a sought-after speaker on food system change and leadership, Mick produces and presents primetime TV series for RTE and Amazon Prime, and the Food Matters podcast. |
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Dr Tara Shine
World-leading Environmental Scientist & Climate Change Negotiator | Author | Broadcaster Tara has dedicated her career to the pursuit of equality between humans and our planet. She advises government bodies and world leaders on environmental and climate policy and has worked for 25 years as a climate change negotiator for the United Nations. Tara is the co-founder and CEO of Change by Degrees and she chairs the Board of Trustees at the International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED), one of the world’s leading independent policy and research organisations with a mission to build a fairer and more sustainable world. As a broadcaster her onscreen credits span BBC, Channel 4 and RTE with acclaimed programmes including Brave New World with Stephen Hawking. Her book "How to Save Your Planet One Object at A Time" reveals the environmental significance of a range of commonplace objects, from mobile phones and televisions, to pens and wet wipes. Tara suggests how to make achievable, affordable, and genuinely effective changes that can improve your life and simultaneously benefit our planet. |
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Rt. Hon John Gummer, Lord Deben
UK’s Longest-Serving Environment Secretary | Chairman of Climate Change Committee | Founder of Sancroft International Between 2012 and 2023 the Rt. Hon John Gummer, Lord Deben, was Chairman of the UK’s Independent Climate Change Committee. He is also the UK’s longest serving Secretary of State for the Environment (1993-97) having previously been Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. His sixteen years of top-level ministerial experience also include Minister for London, Employment Minister, and Paymaster General in HM Treasury. Lord Deben is currently Chairman of Valpak Ltd and of PIMFA, the trade body representing financial advisers and wealth managers. He is the founder and Chairman of Sancroft International, a consultancy that advises both businesses and investors on all areas of Sustainability and ESG. Throughout his political, business, and personal life Lord Deben has consistently championed an accord between sustainability and business sense. |
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Vicky Davies OBE
CEO of Danske Bank and Ground-Breaking Local Business Leader Vicky became Danske Bank’s first female Chief Executive in 2021. A Cambridge graduate, she began her career as a management consultant at Accenture in London before earning her MBA from the INSEAD business school in France. Recognising the critical role of the Bank in financing the transition to a greener economy, Vicky established a Sustainability team in Belfast. This dedicated team supports customers not only through sustainable lending activities but also by fostering the skills needed for the transition. Recognised for her leadership, Vicky was named NI Businesswoman of the Year at the Women in Business Awards in 2024. In 2025, she was awarded an OBE for her services to the economy in Northern Ireland |
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Professor David Rooney
Leading Authority on Innovation & Energy | Director of CASE David is the Dean of Internationalisation and Reputation within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at QUB and Director of the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE). A Chemical Engineer working on systems approaches to deliver multiple aspects of the Net Zero transition, he has expertise in a range of areas relating to renewable-energy systems and their integration into society and businesses. His research focuses on energy generation, materials and system integration with a particular focus on Zero Carbon technologies. He works with a wide range of industries and government bodies, to advance decarbonisation through specific projects, as well as supporting collaboration and cooperation through industrial clusters. |
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Mary Robinson (Virtual Address)
First Female President of Ireland | Former UN High Commissioner | Passionate Advocate for Climate Justice As the first female President of Ireland, Mary elevated the country to a new level of international status and pioneered seismic change in the country. She then took up the role of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and was listed as one of Time’s top 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world. She is a founding member and currently the Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders formed by Nelson Mandela to tackle the world’s most pressing problems. Awarding Mary the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, Barack Obama praised her as an “advocate for the forgotten and the ignored,” noting that she has “not only shone a light on human suffering but illuminated a better future for our world.” A highly sought after speaker, Mary brings the thought leadership of a former head of state, a grandmother’s passionately felt concern for the future and the compelling stories of the thousands she has met traveling the world as a champion for climate justice, human rights, gender equality and corporate responsibility. |
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More to be announced... |
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Previous Speakers. |
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Attendee Feedback. |
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WOW, I was blown away by today's event. It was great to hear the insightful knowledge and experience of the key speakers. It has inspired me to think about how we educate, create awareness, explain carbon in simpler terms and inspire everyone to STOP and MAKE A CHANGE
Victoria Johnston, Farrans Construction A great summit offering hope and practical advice/solutions to take positive action
Wendy McCulla, Aspire Learning and Development Another fantastic event from MLN - great speaker line up with practical actions to take away
Carol Fitzsimons, Young Enterprise NI |
One of the most thought-provoking events I’ve attended where failure is just not an option
Robert McCullough, Danske Bank A call to action that every business needs to hear!
Karl Crockard, CASC LTD Inspirational
Connor Mckiver, McCloskey International Interesting, inspiring, scary statistics and thought provoking
Berina Rice, Portview Fit Out Limited |
What can you and your organisation do to help avert the climate crisis?
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