Cuckmere Community Solar Company

Proposed Board Directors, March 2019

Dr Alister Scott

FRSA

Alister is the proposed Chair of the Community Company. He is a co-Director of The One Leadership Project, which supports the people in organisations who are leading big change on things that matter. Over the past 15 years, Alister’s clients have included multinational companies, charities, government departments and international organisations. Alister routinely chairs, facilitates, advises and trains Boards and teams in high-pressure and complex situations.

During his early career, Alister spent 15 years helping experts to communicate better; he has been a spokesman in the media and by appearing before Select Committees, especially around environmental challenges and technology risk. Alister has led big change on several occasions, for example as a member of the group who persuaded the UK’s third largest pension fund USS (now worth £38bn) to adopt a “responsible investment” policy, setting a useful precedent in the City; USS in turn founded the influential Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change. Alister has lived with his family in Berwick since 1995.

In October 2013, following initial discussions, the developers of the solar farm at Susenco asked Alister to put together a group to develop and lead the community solar farm.

Crispin Freeman

FCA CTA (Fellow) TEP

Crispin has extensive experience in business, accountancy and tax matters, after a career working for chartered accountancy practices - four years in London with BDO Binder Hamlyn, 6 years as a partner with Grant Thornton, and more than 20 years with Perkins Copeland in Eastbourne. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Crispin is a director and company secretary of Hydro Hotel Eastbourne Plc, a company quoted on the ISDX Growth Market. He is a trustee of four charities and has significant experience of the charitable sector.

Crispin has lived in Alfriston for 30 years.

Philip Wolfe

FRSA FEI

Philip has been involved in the renewable energy sector since the 1970s when he became the first Chief Executive of BP Solar. He later established his own photovoltaics company Intersolar Group, which until 2002 was the sole UK manufacturer of solar cells. He was Director General of the Renewable Energy Association, when it led the campaign for the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff in the 2008 Energy Act.

A Cambridge engineering graduate, Philip chairs Westmill Solar Cooperative, currently the world’s largest community-owned solar power station. He is a non-executive director of Communities for Renewables CIC, Earthworm Energy Plc and Renewable Energy Assurance Limited; serves on the advisory board of the Climate Bonds Initiative and the government’s Shared Ownership Taskforce; and provides advisory services through WolfeWare Limited.

His book on utility-scale solar power projects was published by Routledge in 2012. He has installed renewable energy in his home in South Oxfordshire for heating and part of its electricity.

Pete Geddes

BEng

Pete has over 16 years of experience in the renewable power generation industry, primarily in project management of both offshore and onshore wind farm development and construction. He has helped to deliver projects up to 360MW, including the UK’s first offshore wind farm. Pete has worked in many different roles in the sector for both clients and contractors.

Pete began his career in 1998 working first briefly for Dulas and then at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) as a site engineer. CAT and Dulas are both leading organisations in the field of community owned energy so Pete has been aware of community energy for many years.

Pete holds his BEng (Hons) in Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology (Mechanical Engineering) from the University of Warwick. He also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Managing Major Projects from the University of Middlesex. He lives in Alfriston.

Adam Coxen

Funding Adviser

Adam has been building, buying and selling companies for fifteen years, focusing on the technology, telecom, business services and property sectors. He has a particular interest in renewable and sustainable technology and is Chairman of the award-winning sustainable property company, Blue Forest.

His day job is Managing Partner of Barons, the leading Swiss investment banking advisory firm, and has led transactions of combined value >£1billion, including acquisitions, divestments, turnarounds and capital-raising worldwide.

Adam began his career as an Army Officer. He was educated at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and holds a BSc (Honours) Economics from City University, London. He has recently been short-listed for “The Sunday Times Non-Executive Director of the Year” award for a second time.

Adam lives in East Sussex with his wife and two sons.