Meet The Team
Baroness Maddock - President
She successfully sponsored the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 as a Private Member's Bill. From 1998-2000 Diana Maddock was Federal President of the Liberal Democrat Party. She was a member of Northumberland County Council 2005-8 and of Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council 2007-9. She was a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life 2003-9. Baroness Maddock continues to take an interest in energy efficiency and recently saw Brian White MP's Private Member's Bill through the House of Lords to become the Sustainable Energy Act. |
Donald Daw - Vice President
He has also been a driving force behind the company’s proactive Green Gateway Initiative™ which uses Mitsubishi Electric’s unique position within the construction industry to promote the ways in which everyone can play their part in achieving a reduction in energy use and CO2 emissions. |
Dave Sowden - Chief Executive
Dave has had a pivotal role across a number of years in shaping key aspects of UK energy policy, especially in the microgeneration sector. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors, Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Institute of Energy as well as having achieved a first degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and a MBA from Warwick Business School.
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Sandra Morris - Office Manager
Sandra joined the MPC team in August 2011 as Office Manager. |
Grace Bennett - Head of Policy
Grace was one of the first students on the ground breaking 'Cardiff-Bordeaux Joint Degree Scheme'. This is an innovative course which allows students to obtain a BSc Econ in Politics from Cardiff University, as well as a Masters degree specialising in the politics of European integration from the prestigious Sciences Po in Bordeaux (one of nine Instituts d'Etudes Politiques in France). Grace joined the JDS Associates team in October 2008, having previously worked with a business strategy consulting firm. Grace has since worked on a number of private consultancy projects including development of an innovative '360 degree' techno-political analysis tool for a major UK energy supplier before being seconded to the Micropower Council in Autumn 2009. As Policy & Communications Manager for the Council, Grace coordinates strategy group work programmes, provides the policy input for political campaigns and leads on microgeneration profile raising initiatives. |
Jane Vaus - Head of Media & External Relations
Jane, an environmental scientist, is a highly experienced political and PR professional with a long experience of the development of campaign strategy and effective delivery. She has worked in Parliament several times and has spent many years working with a number of NGOs including Greenpeace, WWF, the Soil Association and Green Alliance. She is also the Co-ordinator of the All Party Intelligent Energy Group. She has an academic and personal commitment to protecting the environment and an active interest in politics and community campaigning. She is also a trustee of the Fairyland Trust, a charity aiming to connect families with nature |
Ron Bailey - Head of Parliamentary Affairs
Ron Bailey has a 30-year record of organising Parliamentary and community campaigns across a broad range of issues. He has been instrumental in getting a number of Acts of Parliament on to the statute book, such as the Home Energy Conservation Act, Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act and the Road Traffic Reduction Act. More recently Ron has been instrumental in a number of Acts of Parliament such as the sustainable communities act, and working with the Micropower Council, the climate change and sustainable energy act 2008, the Green Energy Act 2009 and the amendment to the government energy act 2004, requiring the first statutory microgeneration strategy. He is also the parliamentary adviser to the Association for the Conservation of Energy. |
Jonathan Rudge - Financial Controller
Jonathan joined the MPC team in October 2009 and brings with him a wealth of experience in finance and business administration. Prior to joining the MPC, Jonathan held the post of Financial Director with XKO Network Systems where he successfully turned a struggling company into a sustainable business prior to its acquisition. Jonathan is now looking forward to applying these skills to the sustainable energy sector |
Tom Higgins - Member & Communications Manager
Tom joined the Micropower Council in November 2009 and has heavy involvement in MPC briefings, marketing initiatives and campaigns. Having recently graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2009 he joined the team for a successful Internship period which resulted in his appointment as a Researcher. After displaying a real knowledge for the importance of an effect communications strategy Tom carved a new role for himself within the MPC ensuring that our work reaches far and wide With a degree in Communications and Business Studies and as a result brings knowledge of both business and media sectors to the MPC. Since joining the organisation his appetite to learn has allowed him to develop and apply these skills to the Low Carbon Industry. This has allowed him to gain a solid knowledge of the work produced by the policy team and use this to convey the Micropower Council's message across the industry and media. |
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Charlotte Partridge - Policy Adviser
Charlotte has had previous experience as a research intern when she worked for Blue CRM during her final year at University, and has developed a personal interest in environmental issues and policy since her internship started and hopes to continue along this line of work for the considerable future. |
Ilias Vazaios - Policy Adviser
Ilias Vazaios joined the Micropower Council in June 2011. He has an academic background in EU politics and business management including an MSc in Management from CASS Business School in London. Over the past five years, Ilias gained significant experience in energy public affairs having held relevant positions in the European Commission Delegation in Washington, the European trade association for cogeneration (COGEN Europe), the office of a global public affairs group in Brussels and an international environmental NGO. |
Donald Daw is Commercial Director for Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems Division which is comprised of Air Conditioning Systems, Heating and PV (Photo Voltaic) business units. Donald, who is a degree-qualified engineer, has spent the last eight years with the Hatfield-based, Mitsubishi Electric. 
As a business strategy consultant, Grace gained experience of a number of different industries, ranging from food and beverage to aerospace logistics and chemical engineering. In this role, Grace carried out in-depth research into specific sectors, assessed business opportunities available to clients, provided data analysis and undertook competitive intelligence gathering in a range of European countries.
Charlotte Partridge has recently starting working for the Micropower Council as a Researcher. She graduated with a 2.1 from Reading University in 2010 in Politics and International Relations which has given her a solid understanding in the best ways to influence policy. 