The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators is pleased to announce the second City Environment Debate, which will focus on creating sustainable cities. Our theme is based on United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 11: Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
The Debate will be chaired by Cassie Sutherland, Managing Director for Climate Solutions and Networks at C40 Cities.

Reserve a place here.

Speakers:
1)
Pete Daw, Head of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Greater London Authority (Topic: How London is achieving Sustainability).
2)
Dan S. Dowling, PwC Partner (Topic: The role of UK government and funding)
3)
Dr Paul O’Hare, Manchester Metropolitan University (Topic: Manchester’s Resilience Action Plan
4)
Michela Ravaglia, Head of Sustainability for Wates Residential (Topic: Housing and Property)
5)
Clare Sheffield, Cities Planning and Design, Arup Director (Topic: Designing for new and existing cities, including transport)
The debate will be held under the Chatham House Rule, starting with 10-minute presentations by the speakers, followed by discussion amongst the speakers and with the audience. Afterwards, there will be networking opportunities and refreshments.
The debate is free and attendance is by invitation only. Places are limited and available on a ‘first come first served’ basis. To reserve a place please register using the link. Please reserve a place individually.
Sustainable UK Cities: What, How and When Tickets, Thu, Oct 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM | Eventbrite
If you have any questions, or additional requests for attendance, please contact Allan Barton at barton.allan@outlook.com
The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators is very grateful to Arup for their generous sponsorship.

Speakers:

Pete Daw
Pete specialises in urban and environmental policy and is currently Head of Climate Change at the Greater London Authority, leading a team focussing on London’s climate change mitigation, adaptation, water and green finance programmes. Pete previously worked as Director of Urban Development and Environment at Siemens’ Global Centre for Cities, recommending technologies that could play a role in solving urban challenges in China, India, Italy, Greece and Saudi Arabia. He headed their partnership with C40 cities, writing on topics ranging from connected and autonomous vehicles to climate financing, and on Johannesburg’s first greenhouse gas inventory.
Daniel S. Dowling
Dan is the PwC Partner leading their sustainability and climate change strategy practice. As an expert adviser and business builder with twenty-three years of experience shaping strategy, technical and transformation services across public and private sectors, including deep specialism in the built environment, Dan is passionate about climate change, cities and international development. He champions the impact that better business, investors and cities can have on a climate, growth and society.
Dr Paul O’Hare
Paul is a Senior Lecturer in Geography and Development at Manchester Metropolitan University, whose research focuses on climate resilience, risk governance, and public engagement. He collaborates with policymakers and practitioners to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world environmental challenges. Paul served as a UKRI climate science ‘embedded researcher’, advising both MCCA and Manchester City Council on robust adaptation strategies. He is currently an Expert Advisor to the United Nations ‘Race to Resilience’ initiative.
Michela Ravaglia
A passionate advocate of sustainability, Michela currently leads Wates’ Residential, Developer and Contractor Group’s strategic approach to sustainability, delivering on the Group’s ESG commitments. Previously, she developed Mount Anvil’s first corporate ESG Strategy, and as Head of Net Zero Carbon and Passivhaus she covered a nationwide role at Stride Treglown, advising clients on. Michela’s background is in architecture, with specialisms in Passivhaus Design from the Passivhaus Institute and Sustainable Building Design from MIT.
Clare Sheffield
Clare is Arup’s UK Transport Planner Lead, heading Arup’s team specializing in travel behaviour change. She has always pioneered creative research and modelling techniques, specialising in understanding car ownership and use, demand management and the impacts of road pricing. Her career has spanned the public and private sectors, across the UK and globally. She co-led the development of the current Mayor’s Transport Strategy for London, developing a comprehensive evidence base and setting ambitious targets. A social scientist, Clare has worked on behaviour change and demand management schemes for over twenty years, in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Americas.
Chair: Cassie Sutherland
Cassie Sutherland is the Managing Director for Climate Solutions and Networks at C40, supporting cities to accelerate climate action in energy and buildings, food and waste, transport, urban planning, air quality and climate resilience. C40 is a network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed to confront the climate crisis. Prior to joining C40, Cassie was the project manager for the London Environment Strategy and led the climate adaptation and sustainable development team at the Greater London Authority, working to manage London’s climate risks and impacts and improve quality of life. Cassie has a wide range of technical experience in buildings and energy including developing new carbon scoring tools for national energy efficiency schemes and assessing new energy efficiency measures while working at the UK energy regulator. She has also developed national government policy on smart energy systems.