Date
03 July 2025
Time
08:30 – 14:00 (+ optional post-conference site visit)
Location
Conference Aston, Aston University, Aston St, Birmingham B4 7ET
Organisers
Sustainability West Midlands
The Event
“The UK’s preparations for climate change are inadequate.”
“The Government must act without further delay to improve the national approach to climate resilience.”
These are the headline quotes from the latest ‘Progress in adapting to climate change: 2025 report to Parliament’ published by the Climate Change Committee in April 2025. Its assessment shows that, despite the impacts of climate change already being felt across the country, all areas of society are not adequately prepared to deal with the impacts. These include more frequent and intense flooding events, heatwaves, periods of water scarcity and storms.
This year’s SWM Annual Conference will focus on what our members and stakeholders in the West Midlands and beyond need to do to adapt to these impacts and how national and local policy can lead to the acceleration of the action that is required.
Aims
With the Climate Change Committee’s stark warning and the recent local election results as a backdrop, the conference will explore:
- The policy levers that can be used to build adaptive capacity and implement action at the local and national level, through discussion with an expert panel.
- What your business and organisation can do to become more resilient to climate change impacts as well as other risks such as supply chain disruption and material scarcity, shining a light on examples of good practice.
- The work SWM and our partners are doing to help organisations and places adapt to climate change, and how we can help you.
As ever, our Conference will also provide extensive networking opportunities for our members and wider stakeholders.
The Venue
Conference Aston is a purpose-built conference centre and hotel, located on the Aston University campus in Birmingham. Wholly owned by Aston University, it has been delivering high-quality conference, accommodation, and hospitality services since the 1970s. Over the decades, it has grown into a dedicated commercial centre, renowned for its professionalism and versatility.
To ensure the venue and team consistently operate to best practice standards, Conference Aston’s sustainability efforts are regularly reviewed by external awarding bodies. This ensures alignment with industry, national, and international benchmarks.
Conference Aston holds ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications, the Green Tourism Gold Award, a Three-Star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and TripAdvisor’s Green Leaders Gold Level status.
Attendance and tickets
- SWM members – 1 FREE ticket for standard membership + £35 for any additional tickets
- Non-members
- SME/charity – £50
- Public sector – £75
- Large private – £100
The conference sells out quickly, so we recommend securing your spot as soon as possible.
Agenda
To be confirmed.
Confirmed Speakers
Keynote: Emma Howard-Boyd CBE – Emma chairs ClientEarth’s Group Board and ClimateArc, and is a co-Chair of Climate Resilience for All. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Climate Foundation and a Visiting Professor in Practice at Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Alan Carr, Senior Sustainability Adviser, SWM
Andrew Pollard, Chair, SWM
Anna Bright, Chief Executive, SWM
Bethany Haskins-Vaheesan – Project Manager – Climate Adaptation, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
Clare Chapman, Membership Manager, SWM
Dan Clayton – Dan Clayton, Sustainability Manager, Lincolnshire County Council
Dr Helen Adams – Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, King’s College London
Matt Smith – River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR), Shropshire Council
Mike Everard – Chief Executive Officer, PureWave Form Ltd
Morgan Roberts – Project Manager, SWM
Paul Fisher – Consultant in Health Protection, UKHSA
Dr Rachel Lombardi – Chief Executive Officer, International Synergies Ltd
Prime sponsorship & exhibiting
We aim to make our conference support options as flexible as possible, offering opportunities for both prime sponsorship and exhibition. They also included additional free conference tickets depending on what level you choose. Packages will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register your interest in sponsoring or exhibiting please complete this short online form and we will get back to you to confirm your slot as soon as possible.
Exhibitors
Register
Don’t miss the opportunity to join this flagship SWM event.
Feedback and Photos From Last Year’s Conference
Comments included:
“Great event. I left it feeling more optimistic about the future of our region. We’ve got a lot of good people doing a lot of good things.”
“Well organised and very friendly, providing a great opportunity to network with people from other organisations.”
“Enough time for interaction and lots of energy in the room.”
“Well organised event. Really interesting and informative discussions and good opportunities for networking. Thanks Anna Bright and team!”
“Love it, love it, love it – WELL DONE ALL. First class contribution to all debates. Keep going.”
“Thank you once again Anna Bright and the SWM team for another great event. There were lots of interesting and thought provoking discussions, and it was also wonderful to catch up with friends and contacts old and new during the networking sessions. The National Brownfield Institute is another excellent venue offering much needed support for SMEs in particular, so it was nice to revisit the facility too. With a new government in place, there was a real sense of hope yesterday that there will be some positive changes and progress coming our way in the world of sustainability and ESG. It’s going to be an interesting time ahead as policies are implemented.”
