On Wednesday 12 March the Green Business Network will be hosting their event, Working together for a Greener Future.
Throughout the day, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from people in industry and academia, who are paving the way to a more sustainable future, and network with like-minded individuals, passionate about doing their bit to help our planet.
Location
CMRI Gallery, 扣扣传媒, College Rd, Wharley End, Bedford MK43 0AL
Agenda
09:00 - Registrations
09:30 - Welcome note by Professor Stephanie Hussels and Dr Zimu Xu
09:45 - Keynote by Ali Bradbury, CEO of Clophill Heritage Trust, and Chair of Greensand Country Landscape Partnership
10:45 - Tea break
11:00 - Networking activity
12:00 - Marketing Agility with Purpose: Leveraging Sustainability for Competitive Advantage by Professor Vasilis Theoharakis
13:00 - Lunch and networking
14:00 - Close
Speakers
Ali Bradbury
Ali read Civil Engineering at Birmingham University, sponsored by Taylor Woodrow, and graduated in 1995 with a Master's in Civil Engineering with Management. After a volunteer project in Mozambique, she began her career as an engineering consultant, later managing major projects at Bechtel and leading transformation programmes at Accenture for clients such as Ferrari New Holland, Thames Water, De Beers, and Centrica.
Her passion for sustainable development led her to take a sabbatical in Bolivia, teaching sustainable engineering and building practices for an NGO. She later co-founded Accenture Development Partnerships – the firm’s non-profit division supporting NGOs. She worked with global charity Care International and several other NGOs including the World Wildlife Fund and the World Bank.
In 2005, Ali shifted her focus to being a mum of two young girls and grassroots community initiatives, serving as a school governor, parish councillor, and leading the development of her local Parish Plan. In 2010, she founded Clophill Heritage Trust, raising £1.4 million to build Clophill Eco Lodges, which focuses on local heritage, sustainability and disadvantaged youth development. She also chairs the Greensand Country Landscape Partnership, championing regional environmental initiatives.
Recognised for her services to the local community, Ali received a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2018. She has lived in Bedfordshire for over 22 years and enjoys walking, travelling, yoga, and time with her family and their menagerie of pets which include dogs, sheep and horses.
Professor Vasilis Theoharakis
Vasilis Theoharakis is Professor of Strategic Marketing and Director of the Centre of Strategic Marketing & Sales at the Cranfield School of Management. He is a partner and member of the management team of the PJ Tech Catalyst fund, a venture capital fund that invests in seed stage technology start-up companies. As a board member of NYC based Pollfish representing PJ Tech, he oversaw the sale of the company to Prodege, a California based unicorn. He led the creation of the advisory board at Innoetics, a global innovator in text to speech software, which managed the successful acquisition of the company by Samsung. Among other ventures, he co-founded and was chairman of a successful nanotechnology company that he grew to reach exports in 25 countries and exited when a PE fund invested in the firm. Vasilis has spent several years in Silicon Valley at senior level marketing and business development positions with high-tech start-ups and companies such as 3Com. He started his career as a research engineer at IBM’s prestigious T.J. Watson Research Center where he won the Research Division’s Award.
He holds a B.Eng. (honours) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and an M.B.A. (with distinction) from New York University, and a Ph.D. in Marketing and Strategic Management from the University of Warwick.
Vasilis has extensive experience consulting national and international firms and is actively involved in executive education and has taught in executive programmes for companies such as HSBC, ASDA, Shell, Vodafone, Glaxo SmithKline, Philip Morris, Novo Nordisk, Bank of Piraeus and Eurobank.
Secure your ticket
Tickets are £75. To secure your place, please use .
* Businesses within Central Bedfordshire Council region are eligible for a free ticket. To secure the limited free place, please email greenbusinessnetwork@cranfield.ac.uk.
** Discounts are available for 扣扣传媒 alumni. Please email greenbusinessnetwork@cranfield.ac.uk for discount.
** You may be eligible for a free ticket if you have not attended an event with the Green Business Network in 2024 (The Green Business Network Relaunch, VentureDay or the September event). Please email greenbusinessnetwork@cranfield.ac.uk for more information.
Become a member
Interested in joining the Green Business Network? An annual membership is just £499, and includes entry to quarterly events (including this event). Discounts and limited free places are available for eligible businesses.
Please contact greenbusinessnetwork@cranfield.ac.uk for more information.
