Our Roadmap to 2030Speakers
- Alan Carr, Senior Sustainability Advisor, SWM
- Anna Bright, Chief Executive, SWM
- Andrew Pollard, Chair, SWM
- Bethany Haskins-Vaheesan, Project Manager – Climate Adaptation, WMCA
- Dr Beck Collins, Senior Sustainability Advisor, SWM
- Clare Chapman, Membership Manager, SWM
- Dan Clayton, Sustainability Manager, Lincolnshire County Council
- Emma Howard-Boyd CBE – Chair of ClientEarth’s Group Board & ClimateArc, co-Chair of Climate Resilience for All
- Dr Helen Adams, Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptation, King’s College London
- Dr Rachel Lombardi, Chief Executive, International Synergies Ltd
- Matt Smith, Programme Manager – River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region, Shropshire Council
- Mike Everard, CEO- Founder, PureWave Form Ltd
- Morgan Roberts, Project Manager, SWM
- Paul Fisher, Consultant in Health Protection, UKHSA
Sponsors and exhibitors:
Background
“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.
Our Annual Conference this year focused 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 explored:
- 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 organisations 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 that 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 also provided extensive networking opportunities for our members and wider stakeholders.
The event
The day began with an engaging conversation between our keynote speaker, Emma Howard-Boyd CBE, and Anna Bright, CEO at SWM. Emma shared her insights on the growing impacts of heat on underfunded infrastructure, emphasising the urgent need to embed climate adaptation and resilience into all funding decisions, especially as climate predictions are accelerating faster than anticipated.
Next, we heard from Morgan Roberts (Project Manager, SWM) and Alan Carr (Senior Sustainability Adviser, SWM), who presented the important work SWM is doing to support climate change adaptation across sectors and regions.
Our first panel discussion, chaired by Dr Helen Adams, tackled the topic “Climate Change Adaptation Policy and Progress.” The panel featured Bethany Haskins-Vaheesan (Project Manager – Climate Adaptation, WMCA), Dan Clayton (Sustainability Manager, Lincolnshire County Council), and Paul Fisher (Consultant in Health Protection, UKHSA), who shared varied perspectives on current policy developments and implementation challenges.
After a break filled with networking, conversation, and delicious refreshments, Clare Chapman (Membership Manager, SWM) took to the stage to introduce exciting new developments for our members. These included a sneak peek at our forthcoming Registered Member Logo, designed to ensure transparent and trusted use across the network.
The afternoon continued with a dynamic panel discussion led by Dr Beck Collins (Senior Sustainability Adviser, SWM) on “Improving Resilience to Climate Change and other Risks.” Panellists Matt Smith (Programme Manager, River Severn Partnership – Shropshire Council), Mike Everard (CEO & Founder, PureWave Form Ltd), and Dr Rachel Lombardi (Chief Executive, International Synergies Ltd) shared practical insights on how businesses can adapt to climate challenges, strengthen resilience, and reduce energy costs.
We wrapped up the day with a relaxed lunch and further networking in the bright atrium and sunlit courtyard at the excellent Conference Aston, followed by an optional tour of the facilities.
Event summary blogs
Who came to the Annual Conference?
The conference was attended by 134 delegates from over 80 organisations, mainly from the SWM membership.
Feedback on the day
Comments included:
“The speakers and their knowledge was a privilege to be able to listen and learn.”
“The keynote was so down to earth and necessarily honest about the state of climate reslience in the UK.”
“Enough time for interaction and lots of energy in the room.”
“Great panels. Great audience, all passionate and wanting to work in collaboration.”
“Great speakers and turned my negative outlook to action into positive!”
“The way the event was organised set up etc it was extremely welcoming.”
