Download Panel-Biographies - University of Edinburgh Business School

Panel Biographies
Charles Hendry
The Rt Hon Charles Hendry was Shadow Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change from October 2008
until May 2010 when he was appointed Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change,
serving until 2012.
In November 2012 Charles became the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and
Turkmenistan. He stood down as an MP at the May 2015 general election.
Charles has been Chairman of Forewind, a consortium (RWE, SSE, Statkraft and Statoil) seeking planning
consent to develop the world's largest offshore wind farm on Dogger Bank and advisor for Atlantic
Superconnection, exploring opportunities to develop an electricity interconnector between Iceland and the
UK, since 2013.
Charles is President of BIEE and an alumnus and Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh.
Ian Marchant
An accountant by training Ian was the Chief Executive Officer of Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE plc) from
2002 to 2013. He has been Chairman of the John Wood Group Plc since 2014. He is non-executive chairman
of Infinis Energy plc and a non-executive director of Aggreko plc.
Ian is also president of the UK's Energy Institute, chairman of Maggie's Cancer Charity and former chairman
of Scotland's 2020 climate delivery group.
Ian is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh Business School.
Niall Stuart
Niall has been CEO of Scottish Renewables since 2009. Scottish Renewables has been the representative body
of the Scottish renewable energy industry since 1996, presenting a united voice to decision makers who make
energy policy. It represents over 300 members and member organisations across all technologies and supply
chains.
Before joining Scottish renewables, Niall was Press and Government Affairs Manager with the Scottish
Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), 2007-09, and Head of Press and Public Affairs at the Federation
of Small Businesses Scotland, 2005-07.
Niall is a member of the First Minister’s Energy Advisory Board.
Dr Gbenga Ibikunle
Gbenga is lecturer in Financial Markets and Programme Director of the MSc in Carbon Finance at the
University of Edinburgh Business School. He is also Deputy Director of the School’s Sustainable Business
Initiative.
Gbenga is a Director on the Board of Fondazione European Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre. He
is an expert on the Carbon Finance Unit of the World Bank's Partnership for Market Readiness Roster of
Experts.
Gbenga’s research interests cover the general financial economics space, with greater focus on the
microstructure of financial markets. He has examined critical market microstructure issues in the world’s
largest emissions trading market, the European Climate Exchange, London. Other research interests include
Energy and Carbon economics/finance.