Speakers
- Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands
- Cllr Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Transport and Green City at City of Wolverhampton Council
- Prof Prashant Pillai, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at University of Wolverhampton
- Hugh Ellis, Policy Director at the Town and Country Planning Association
- Sarah Faulkner, Regional Policy Manager at NFU Midlands
- Delia Garratt, CEO at Birmingham and the Black Country Wildlife Trust
- Kate Ashworth, Energy Infrastructure Lead at Energy Capital
- Henriette Breukelaar, West Midlands Regional Director for the Canal & River Trust
- Jim Davies, Senior Advisor, Local Nature Recovery Strategies at the Environment Agency
- Hugo Llewelyn, CEO at Newcore Capital Management LLP
- Andrew Pollard, Chair at SWM
- Dr Beck Collins, Senior Sustainability Advisor at SWM
- Alan Carr, Senior Sustainability Advisor at SWM
- Anna Bright, Chief Executive at SWM
Sponsors and exhibitors:

Background
SWM hold their Annual Conference so that sustainability organisations and professionals can come together, providing delegates with a peer-to-peer learning opportunity and sharing important information and solutions affecting our sector in the West Midlands. The event comprises of thought-provoking influential speakers and panels, interspersed with networking sessions and immersive exhibitions from SWM members and stakeholders.
Aims of the 2024 Annual Conference
- Focus on best practice in land management for the benefit of the environment, economy and people, in policy and practice.
- Provide an engaging networking opportunity for over 100+ cross-sector sustainability professionals to share knowledge and best practice supporting SWM’s Roadmap to 2030.
The event
The day kicked off with keynote addresses from Cllr Qaiser Azeem and Prof Prashant Pillai, welcoming delegates to Wolverhampton and the University’s National Brownfield Institute more specifically. They informed us of the various sustainability programmes being undertaken by the City of Wolverhampton Council and the University of Wolverhampton respectively.
Richard Parker, recently elected Mayor of the West Midlands, was our keynote speaker, informing delegates of his priorities and vision for land use and planning in the region, as well as his intentions to address environmental and social issues more generally.
Our first panel of the day, chaired by SWM Chief Executive Anna Bright, consisted of Hugh Ellis from the Town and Country Planning Association, Sarah Faulkner from NFU Midlands, and Delia Garratt from Birmingham and the Black Country Wildlife Trust, who rigorously explored the question ‘what is needed from Government when it comes to land management?‘
To round up the first half of the day, SWM Senior Sustainability Adviser Alan Carr elaborated on SWM’s recent and ongoing work on the subject of land management, particularly around the area of adapting to climate change.
After a break to meet exhibitors and network with fellow delegates, as well as sample a variety of refreshments and pastries, proceedings resumed with a ‘fireside chat’ between SWM Chair Andrew Pollard and Hugo Llewelyn, CEO at Newcore Capital Management LLP, focusing on investment.
There followed a panel led by Andrew Stott, Centre Manager at the National Brownfield Institute on the topic of ‘land management to benefit enterprise, economy, environment and people’. Panellists Kate Ashworth from Energy Capital, Henriette Breukelaar from the Canal & River Trust and Jim Davies from the Environment Agency gave us a brilliant discussion about the competing needs of land use for public services, from energy to nature, housing to water supply. They highlighted how important communication, collaboration and cooperation are for solving such crucial and interwoven problems as those facing the region and the country.
A final presentation was given by Anna Bright to inform attendees of our recent and upcoming projects and to highlight the ongoing growth and increasing reach and impact of our work. Last but not least, there was a closing session of networking and socialising, accompanied by a buffet lunch kindly provided by the University of Wolverhampton.
Who came along to the Annual Conference?
The conference was attended by 124 delegates from over 80 organisations, mainly from the SWM membership:
- Achaleon
- Accelar Ltd
- Arup
- Aston Centre for Growth – Aston University
- Aston University
- Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust
- BizEd Projects CIC
- Bryt Energy
- Business in the Community
- Canal & River Trust
- Centre for New Midlands
- Cirklo Consult
- Citizen
- City of Wolverhampton Council
- Cognition Cloud
- Contented ESG
- Coventry City Council
- Design with Nature Limited
- DeterTech UK Limited
- ecobirmingham
- Environment Agency
- Greener Options
- Hemiko Ltd
- Herefordshire Council
- Hyas Associates
- Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands
- Institution of Civil Engineers
- International Synergies Limited
- Keele University
- Lyreco
- Manufacturing Technology Centre
- Medilink Midlands
- Middlemarch Environmental
- Millboard
- Mills & Reeve
- Modus Food Waste Recycling
- National Express
- National Farmers Union
- Nazir Associates Ltd
- Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
- Newcore Capital
- NiBS Ltd
- One Black Bear Ltd
- Plant Carbon Ltd
- Royal Shakespeare Company
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
- Sarah Stone Marketing
- Savillspm
- Severn Trent
- SIPS Education
- Sniffer
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
- Square Mile Farms
- Staffordshire County Council
- Suez
- Sustainability Professionals of Saudi Arabia
- Tesla
- The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products
- The Birmingham Repertory Theatre
- The Butterfly Effect
- The Dudley Group NHS
- The Friends of Bilbrook
- The Rebuild Site
- The Technology Supply Chain C.I.C.
- TIN Ventures
- Town & Country Planning Association
- Traavu Ltd (Traavu City Business)
- Transport for West Midlands
- Turner & Townsend
- University College Birmingham
- University of Birmingham
- University of Wolverhampton
- Unyte Group
- Velorim Group Ltd
- Walls of Eden
- Wesleyan Assurance Society
- West Midlands Combined Authority
- West Midlands Fire Service
- Whistle PR
- Winning Moves
- Worcester City Council
- Worcestershire County Council
- Worksmiths – Recruiting for Sustainable Growth
- Wylde Connections Limited
- Zero Carbon Shropshire
Feedback on the day
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.”