FREE WEBINAR | Getting organisational buy-in for clean energy and low carbon strategy
Wednesday 8th July 2026, 09:30 – 10:30 BST. Hosted by The Open University.
Synopsis:
In celebration of Net Zero Week 2026 (4–10 July), the UK’s official national awareness week and the country’s largest Net Zero conference, this Open University webinar is designed to help employers turn climate ambition into organisational action.
With organisations facing increasing costs, regulation and expectations to become low carbon, this session explores proven approaches for embedding clean energy and low carbon strategies across the workforce and wider value chain.
What you’ll learn in the webinar
Attendees will gain insights into:
- Where to start with organisational change in this complex field.
- Effective collaboration with supply chains and implementation of practical sustainability policies and processes within the business.
- Encouraging the adoption of green technologies that support operational decarbonisation.
- Developing the skills and knowledge needed for a successful transition, including how short courses, professional development, and degree level study can accelerate capability building.
- The importance of clear communication in driving cultural change and sustaining momentum.
- How to bring senior leaders on board with the scale of change required.
Employers will leave with actionable steps to support a measurable, organisation-wide shift towards net zero.
Host:
Dr. Victoria Hands, Director of Sustainability, The Open University.
Dr Victoria Hands is a sustainability expert who empowers individuals and organisations to discover and adopt regenerative practices so they can transform their actions for sustainability. She promotes, trains, and coaches the implementation of long-term, preventative, inclusive, collaborative and integrated approaches. Victoria oversees OU policy, governance, data, reporting and implementation, and clarifies roles and objectives to ensure progress is aligned with the University’s sustainability ambitions.
Speakers:
Dr. Wolfgang Oels, COO, Ecosia.
Dr. Oels studied industrial engineering and earned his doctorate on the decentralization of energy generation. After working as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, he held various leadership positions in the solar industry in Germany and the U.S., including leading the world’s largest solar cell production facility at the time. Since 2016, he serves as COO of Ecosia, the search engine that actively contributes to climate and biodiversity protection by planting trees with every search. He also is co-founder and director at “European Search Perspective”, an initiative building a European Web Index as a sovereign critical infrastructure.
Maria Madara, Associate, KaurMaxwell.
Maria is an Associate Solicitor at KaurMaxwell, a B Corp certified law firm committed to using business as a force for good – balancing people, profit and purpose to drive meaningful impact. KaurMaxwell was one of the first six law firms in London to achieve B Corp status. As part of B Corp certified organisation, Maria is actively engaged in embedding sustainability principles into organisational practice, reflecting KaurMaxwell’s dedication to responsible business and its role in the wider movement towards a low-carbon future.
With a practice that spans across employment law, insolvency & restructuring and civil litigation, Maria brings a sharp understanding of how organisations can align governance, policy, and culture to meet ambitious strategic goals.
At this webinar, Maria will share practical insights on how employers can move beyond climate ambition and translate net zero commitments into real organisational action.
Sophie McCool, BSc Natural Sciences student, The Open University.
Sophie is a final-year BSc Natural Sciences student at The Open University, with a focus on environmental science, sustainability, and climate policy. Alongside her studies, she has worked as a research assistant supporting projects with Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) and has contributed to climate and human rights research through the WIP Academy.
She is particularly interested in helping communities and organisations engage more meaningfully with sustainability and climate issues, especially through education, communication, and local action. Alongside research and policy interests, Sophie also leads a community garden project in her work in a care home in Northern Ireland, including facilitating intergenerational nature-based workshops and planting for biodiversity.
*See the full online conference agenda for Net Zero Week 2026 here.
