What does the network do?
The Sustainable Business Network aims to provide peer support for businesses trying to improve their sustainability. We meet regularly via our quarterly networking events and fireside chats with business leaders.
We share best practice from micro, small, mid and large organisation and the latest funding available to help you realise your net zero ambitions. Our connection to the University of Surrey means innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals are active topics of conversation. We work with pre-existing networks to share our expertise as much as we can and we work with partners to deliver specific projects. We're helped by a fantastic group of volunteers, strategic advisors and supporters.
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The best way to keep up to speed is to join our mailing list, and follow our LinkedIn.
Core Team
The Sustainable Business Network is powered by volunteers. We are always on the look out for more volunteers, either as a one-off or to support us on a more regular basis in our core team - tell us if you’re interested.
Ben is one of the original founding members of Zero Carbon Guildford, having brought together a number of local environmental and social groups in 2020 to focus on more collaborative climate action. SBN was born as a collaboration between ZCG and the University of Surrey's Innovation & Research department. In his paid work, Ben is a Senior Climate Officer working on the climate change team at Surrey County Council.
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Bronwen is the Project Development Coordinator for Zero Carbon Guildford. She helps convene the Sustainable Business Network and supports SBN volunteers to deliver events, resources and activities which promote sustainability for businesses in Surrey. Alongside colleagues, Bronwen is working to support Zero Carbon Guildford's vision of local people thriving through greener living and working.
Stuart is a chartered accountant with a long career in banking and finance. Over the last few years, Stuart has focused solely on raising debt and asset finance in the sustainability sector particularly for SMEs/mid-corporates looking to transition to Net Zero. As a Guildford resident, Stuart is very pleased to be part of SBN to help local SMEs and mid-corporates take action to meet their goals on sustainability.
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David's career in business included owning the first company to use LEDs as a light source for scientific microscopy. He has been Professor of Entrepreneurship at Kingston Business School, as well as a Surrey County Councillor, and today Chairs HTAG (a town
centre residents association) and the Pewley Down Meadows group, which raised £1m to save vital chalk grassland habitat in Guildford from development. David is a founder member of the Sustainable Business Network.
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Strategic Advisors
In June 2023 we onboarded specialists who could bring their wealth of experience driving sustainability within SMEs to support the Sustainable Business Network's vision. Hannah Keartland, Shelley Lawson, Phillip Kalli, Lisa Dittmar and Stuart Cook.
Hannah is founder of Keartland & Co, which helps businesses to scale up and amplify their impact. She is a bold, strategic thinker who’s spent her career working in and with impact-focused organisations, including Innocent Drinks and Cancer Research UK where she was Innovation Director. She’s spent 20+ years leading innovation and change at director and board level with the unusual blend of having led both Innovation and Finance & Operations functions.
Shelley is a sustainability coach who supports SMEs in delivering carbon reductions and strengthening their businesses for the future. She co-founded children’s bicycle brand Frog Bikes with her husband in 2012, and prior to that she was a strategy consultant at Accenture.
After almost ten years of exploring solutions, in 2020 Phillip launched Fill Refill rinse & returns with Milk & More, the first closed-loop plastic-free household goods in the UK. As Founder and Managing Director, Philip understands all the challenges of running an SME and one that has embraced the circular economy and become a certified Bcorp.
Lisa is Head of Environmental Sustainability for HCA Healthcare UK.
Prior to this, she established and ran the Sustainable Supplier Engagement programme for the NHS. While Net Zero Health lead for Monitor Deloitte, she was a founding member of the Net Zero Transformation Team and led the internal community of practice on the circular economy.
Supporters
The Sustainable Business Network began as a collaborative venture between Zero Carbon Guildford and the University of Surrey, to help local enterprises get future-proofed through sustainability plans. The success of the SBN would not have been possible without the advice and network of our Supporters.
