It's been a journey...
I identify as a British entrepreneur, who draws upon some 40 years, hustling within the global energy landscape. I have assembled businesses, negotiated commodity trade deals and developed energy projects across the globe. I've lived in 6 countries, moved at least 25 times, been fortunate to visit over 100 countries experiencing first hand over 35% of the globe's cultural ecosystem, its natural beauty, a wealth of history to the poverty-stricken war-torn extemes. Despite the irony in the carbon footprint of that travel, I am a self-proclaimed environmentalist, highly conscious and aware of the effects of climate change, and how it's shaped humanity and the world we live in today, I have witnessed a shift and its evolvement with my own eyes in the last 4 decades.
I have a fascination for our planet and the resilience of the eco systems that keeps it alive, specifically our oceans, probably why I have chosen to spend most of my life living by them or no more than a few hours reach of one. As a young dyslexic "unknown to me at the time", I have learnt to use dyslexia as a default superpower , like a cloak of invisibility, learning through hearing, watching and doing, I have stayed somewhat humble and led a relatively unmaterialistic existence in the process doing more for others than I have for myself, "What you lack in resources, compensate with resourcefulness." is something I have lived by my whole life, whilst absorbing the words of my late grandfather, "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." and that's what I have done.
I am probably best known today as the founder and CEO of CeraPhi Energy, a company on a mission to make energy poverty a thing of the past through closed-loop geothermal, bringing a cost effective, saleable and modular baseload energy solution to everyone anywhere. I started my journey over four decades ago in the global battle field's of an energy revolution, in a world transitioning from an industrial to a digital age. A world grappling with energy security and resilience, a dilemma that remains centre stage in our daily existence today and is destined to carve out the trajectory of our future.
From the shop floor of a fabrication workshop with my head in a welding bucket, to mingling with and influencing decision makers in global corporations, at the highest levels in government from Westminster to Capitol Hill, I have seen it all. Many stories to tell, some of which lay the foundations of my first book "Punk Rock to Geothermal Shock", whilst other stories for today will remain locked away for future chapters in the books that may follow.
Notable Highlights:
Early Career:
I began my career in the 1980s as a fabricator welder rig-building in the offshore oil and gas sector, where I gained hands-on experience in engineering and fabrication, quickly working my way through the ranks to senior supervisory roles and project management.
Entrepreneurship:
In the 1990s and 2000s, I built several businesses, in art and media music promotion, quantity surveying, to building a successful international project management and commissioning business, which was involved in various capacities in over 100 major energy projects worldwide.
Transition to Clean Energy:
A self proclaimed eco warrior I shifted my focus toward clean energy technologies where my fascination for geothermal evolved and consumed my life thereafter, leading to establishing CeraPhi Energy, developing the use of closed-loop innovation and technology with a mission to make a modular saleable plug and play solution anywhere, away from the traditional high-temperature geothermal hotspots.
CeraPhi Energy:
CeraPhi Energy was founded in 2020, we have pioneered the use of closed-loop for repurposing end of life oil and gas wells for geothermal heating, cooling, and power applications. CeraPhi was more than just building a company, it was a vision to build a movement, to educate and transform the geothermal space, not least to be part of a movement to bring geothermal to the forefront of the energy mix, to de-risk it and make it a saleable baseload energy solution anywhere for anyone and everyone.
Sustainability and Advocacy:
I am a vocal advocate for climate change awareness and the decarbonisation of energy, focused on three key sectors transportation, heating and power, with food security and sustainability at the heart of this and communication looming in the background fuelled by a growing demand for data storage. I have spoken at hundreds of events, congresses and industry forums globally, in a public and private sector capacity, collaborating with government bodies on sustainability and energy security. I am a key advocate and lobbyist for geothermal energy and the role it has to play in the heart of the global energy transition, I Chair "GEAA" the Geothermal Energy Advancement Association, a Not for Profit, championing Geothermal Energy Advancement, a founding signatory to "World Geothermal Day" "Amazon Climate Pledge" and the "United Nations Global Compact" I am an ambassador for the Climate Coalition. I Chair of the board of EEEGr, Onshore Renewable Sector Council, and hold several NED positions on various technology start-up's which I continues to support as an investor and in an advisory capacity.
What I speak About...
I am a seasoned speaker with an engaging hands on approach in a group environment having spoken at global events on Business Start-ups, Climate, Environmental, and Energy related subject matters at government and industry sector level on topic's aligned for a business audience, with a specialist focus on energy transition, entrepreneurial leadership, and innovation through adversity, all highly relevant to forward-thinking business communities.
Here are a few high-impact keynote titles with aligned positioning and messaging for business-focused events:
“Building Resilient Business Models for the Energy Transition”
Key Themes:
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Lessons from 40 years in the global energy sector
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How to future-proof your business during global energy shifts
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The mindset required to lead through technical, political, and financial disruption
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Why geothermal is the most overlooked pillar of the clean energy future
Audience:
Business leaders, entrepreneurs, energy investors, sustainability officers, infrastructure executives
“How Real-World Grit Builds Visionary Enterprises”
Key Themes:
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My journey from apprentice to international business leader
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Navigating crisis (including fraud, collapse, and natural disaster)
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Rebuilding from zero, twice and finding purpose in clean innovation
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Lessons in leadership, cultural adaptability, and reinvention
Audience:
Startup founders, scale-up CEOs, MBA students, resilience and leadership seminars
“How Innovation Creates New Market Opportunities”
Key Themes:
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Real commercial value in climate-focused innovation
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Using IP and smart project delivery to attract investment
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Closed-loop geothermal as a service model for heating and cooling infrastructure
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The business case for low-risk, high-return energy transition projects
Audience:
Green tech entrepreneurs, VC/PE firms, ESG-focused corporates, local authorities, CICs
“Redefining Risk as a Catalyst for Growth”
Key Themes:
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Personal and professional stories of overcoming failure
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How fear can be a driver, not a blocker
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Building global companies through risk literacy and execution focus
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The psychological toolkit of founders who succeed against the odds
Audience:
General business audience, leadership conferences, startup ecosystems, universities
“What Every Leader Must Know About the Next 10 Years”
Key Themes:
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Why energy strategy is now business strategy
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The geopolitical, financial, and infrastructure trends shaping the future
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How businesses can align with net-zero goals without sacrificing profit
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The role of geothermal in decentralised, distributed, community-driven systems
Audience:
C-level executives, business strategists, real estate developers, policy influencers