Thomas Panton
Thomas has worked in the climate sector for a decade. Starting his career working for the world’s largest independent environmental organisation, Greenpeace, he has engaged 10s of 1000s of people into the climate movement.
Thomas is a 2 x founder with Canopey.com (previously Greenr.co.uk) and Festovers. Festovers was the first company to be specifically contracted by festivals to collect leftover waste to be upcycled and repurposed at scale. Canopey is a sustainable multi-vendor marketplace standing up against the big-boy polluters and making sustainable shopping sexy. An alumnus of the University of East Anglia, his MSc in Climate Change and International Development gives him insight into multiple sectors’ sustainability journey, and he is a Business Climate Leader for Norfolk – advising businesses across the region on how to hit their Net Zero targets. Thomas is also recognised as a LinkedIn Top Green Voice and regularly features as a keynote speaker at events such as Fully Charged Live, Ideas Fest, Retail Without Borders, Surfers Against Sewage Annual Conference, and many more.
Alex Durand
CEO at SaxonAir since 2013 and sitting on the British Chambers of Commerce Expert Transport Panel, Alex has developed the Klyne Aviation Group of businesses based at Norwich Airport. An Honours graduate of Birmingham University, he has a Diploma in Management Studies from Oxford Brookes University and is an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme. He is also Vice Chairman of the British Business & General Aviation Association (BBGA). Additionally, Alex and SaxonAir promote nominated local charities such as Little Lifts, The Big C and the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Alex is a member of the Transport and Infrastructure Board at the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce. With over 25 years’ experience in aviation, Alex is taking an industry lead in driving sustainability in business aviation. This has included SaxonAir’s ‘Clearing the Air’ event which highlighted and debunked misconceptions surrounding aviation, alongside working to pioneer green aviation from their base at Norwich Airport.
Emma Raines
Emma has worked in the marketing industry for over 15 years, launching Example Marketing and Web Design 9 years ago with husband, Gavin. Based in Dereham, they now have a team of six and have worked with clients from financial services companies to conservation organisations and everything in between!
With a lifelong concern for the natural environment, Emma and the team at Example have been working hard to build a more sustainable business, being awarded the Carbon Charter Silver accreditation in 2022 in recognition of their sustainability plan and carbon neutral status. Emma is an associate member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment and a member of the Norfolk Chamber’s Business Climate Leaders Cohort 1.
Rex Kellett
Rex has extensive experience supporting businesses with energy efficiency audits and carbon management. Since 2016 he has also been working with several local authorities who have declared climate emergencies; advising task groups on carbon footprint analysis, property portfolio, infrastructure and decarbonisation and Net Zero. As an experienced EMS practitioner, Rex is also the driving force behind Groundwork’s own environmental management and decarbonisation strategy – so he really understands the challenges of meeting a Net Zero commitment! Supporting East Anglian coastal businesses with their climate resilience strategies for severe weather and flooding is also a passion for Rex, helping to ensure the sustainability of these businesses, and liaising with local authorities and the Environment Agency.
Sue Penlington
Sue is a passionate, driven conservationist previously having worked for wildlife charities across Norfolk, inspiring others to experience and understand the natural world. In her early career Sue established and ran a number of Environmental Field Studies centres across the UK including the Peak District and North Wales.
Sue was seconded in 2020 to create Holkham Estate’s Sustainability and Conservation Strategy, becoming full time Sustainability Manager last year. She is responsible for working with teams across the Estate – leisure, farming, conservation and property to deliver their ambitious sustainability goals including becoming carbon negative by 2040.
