The two-day headline conference, Energy Insight, will play host to a raft of international speakers and UK leading energy experts seldom seen on the UK stage.

The core aspects of energy purchasing in today’s market will take centre stage, including major issues such as: security of supply, the impending UK energy gap, energy price risk management, weather derivatives, carbon management…to mention just a few

Energy management will be discussed in the programme, as it is an important aspect of your energy policy

Jeremy Nicholson is Director of the Energy Intensive Users Group, which campaigns for secure, competitive energy supplies for UK industry. He trained as a civil engineer, specialising in infrastructure and regulatory projects for water and energy utilities and their regulators. He spent four years with a group of French-owned water companies as an economic analyst working on demand forecasting, business planning and economic regulation before joining the EIUG in 2000. He is a Board member of IFIEC Europe (the International Federation of Industrial Consumers), a member of Ofgem's Environmental Advisory Group, BERR's Business Climate Change & Energy Group, and a Fellow of the Energy Institute.

Entered the energy sector in 1985 as a graduate trainee with UK Regional Electricity Company Manweb. Spent time in the energy marketing and electrical contracting areas and progressed to become an Area Commercial Manager for the company. Later established a gas marketing venture as General Manager of Manweb Gas Ltd.

Went on to become Head of Energy Sales for Manweb plc responsible for all of the companies un-regulated energy sales activity. Following the take over of Manweb by Scottish Power he was involved in the integration of the commercial operations of the two companies.

He joined the Total Group in 1996 and is currently Director of the UK Marketing division of Total Gas and Power Ltd (TGPL). Under his leadership the business implemented a successful acquisition strategy which helped it grow to become a UK I&C gas market leader with close to 20% market share at their peak. John also drove the entry to the power retail market in late 2001 where TGPL are a successful niche operator.

In May 2004 John was posted to India to help on the project to commercialize the Shell/Total LNG regasification plant at Hazira, Gujarat. He returned to his post with Total Gas and Power in March 2005 and has been kept developing the business strategy to reflect changing market conditions.

John holds an MA in Business Analysis from the University of Lancaster and a Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma.

David Porter began his career in local government. He then ran businesses of his own, including a successful restaurant in Cornwall and later a PR consultancy. He was an adviser to the Association from 1987, then became its Chief Executive in 1991 (until 1995 it was the Association of Independent Electricity Producers).

He has served on the Executive Committee of the Electricity Pool of England & Wales; the government’s Renewable Energy Advisory Committee and the ‘Foresight Energy Futures Task Force’ and he was President of the UK’s Energy Industries Club 2003 - 2005.

He is currently
• on the Board of the European electricity body ‘Eurelectric’;
• a Director of the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group (‘PRASEG’) and
• a member of the government's Coal Forum.

David is an Honorary Fellow of the Energy Institute.

He was appointed OBE for services to the Power Generation Industry in June 2007.

Patrick Heren is the founder of Heren Energy, the originator of the Heren Index, and a leading energy commentator and consultant, with nearly 30 years' experience of competitive energy markets. An authoritative analyst of British and European gas and power, he has also been engaged as a strategic commercial advisor on a number of important LNG and pipeline gas contracts. He is well known for his principled support for greater liberalisation and competition in energy markets.

Prior to establishing Heren Energy in 1993, Patrick Heren worked as a specialist energy journalist for Energy Intelligence, for which he designed, launched and edited the influential newsletter World Gas Intelligence. Earlier, at Petroleum Argus, he had been instrumental in establishing that company's oil market report.

Mark is the Founder of Encore International Limited; Europe’s leading independent Energy Risk Management Company managing over €1.5bn of energy every year and sits on the risk committees of several plc’s.

Recognised as one of the industries leading authorities on energy risk management, Mark has over 12 years of commercial experience across European consumer and wholesale energy markets and obtained his MSc from London Business School in 1998.

Prior to founding Encore in 2001, Mark developed traded and marketed oil based risk management derivatives transacting some of the first European deals. Previously at BG International he negotiated and marketed the company’s Interconnector capacity as well as taking an active role in the monetisation of their uncommitted gas portfolio. At TXU Mark was a Senior Risk Analyst and Negotiator, creating several asset and business valuation frameworks in addition to having pricing responsibility for a £40million retail gas portfolio.

Mark lives a short distance from Encore’s European Operations Centre in Budapest, Hungary with his wife and two sons and is an avid fantasy football manager.

Jens Boening, Managing Director at WeatherBill UK Limited, London, is responsible for WeatherBill's business development and sales activities in Europe and Asia. Prior to joining WeatherBill, Jens was head of weather derivatives structuring and origination at Merrill Lynch for all non-US markets. He has more than a decade of experience in the commodities and weather markets providing both trading services and risk management solutions to large corporations, financial institutions and investor clients. Before, Jens was a consultant at the major global consultancy firm Accenture. He holds a degree in Business Administration from FH Munich and is Vice President of the Weather Risk Management Association.

WeatherBill, Inc. (www.WeatherBill.com) provides the first online service that allows businesses large and small to protect revenue and control costs from the impact of 'bad' weather. Founded by former members of the Google team, WeatherBill is funded by New Enterprise Associates, Index Ventures and Allen & Company and is backed by Nephila Capital, one of the world's largest weather risk and catastrophe reinsurance fund managers

Philip Wolfe has over 25 years experience and an international reputation in the renewable energy industry.

A first class Cambridge engineering graduate, Philip has broad management and marketing experience in various manufacturing and engineering industries. Before entering general management, he worked in export marketing and international logistics with Tube Investments, Raleigh Bicycles and Lucas Industries. He was founder general manager of Lucas Energy Systems Ltd in the late 70's and then negotiated their joint venture with British Petroleum, becoming the first Chief Executive of what is now BP Solar.

In the early 1980’s Philip Wolfe left to lead a small group of private investors in setting up Intersolar Group. He served as its Chief Executive while it expanded its business from industrial systems engineering into solar product marketing and thin film solar cell manufacturing. From 1993 to 2002 the Group was the sole UK manufacturer of photovoltaic cells.

He has served on the Board of Directors of European and British renewable energy associations, and on bodies advising ministers, the European Commission and the British Government. He has many publications on the application of renewable energy technologies and has featured on television and radio.

Philip Wolfe has four children, in their late teens and early twenties. He plays rugby and tennis, enjoys skiing and sailing, and holds a private pilot’s licence.

Mark founded Carbon Clear after a career in the Internet industry. After the birth of his daughter, Mark decided to invest himself full-time into helping to leave a better world for her generation. He brings to Carbon Clear a passion for contributing to the climate change solution, strong business management experience, and an enthusiasm for growing successful entrepreneurial ventures. Mark has an MBA from London Business School and also won the Guardian Unlimited Award for social entrepreneurship.

Mike has been with Shell for 35 years – 29 in Oil, 6 in Gas.

The Oil products experience included Strategic Planning, Marketing & Sales – covering Retail, LPG, Fuels & Lubricants – and also Distribution – managing 200 drivers and trucks at Shell’s Stanlow refinery terminal. Towards the end of the time in Oil products, Mike also had responsibility for Shell’s UK network of fuels and lubricants distributors – including fourteen subsidiary companies (as Chairman or MD). All in all, a very wide ranging experience – but very close to the customer for the majority of the time.

In Gas, prior to becoming Shell Gas Direct’s General Manager in March 2007, Mike was Shell’s European Gas Marketing Manager. This role had two elements – firstly strategic – contributing to Shell’s gas market entry plans in liberalising markets across Europe and key adjacent countries, and also operational – ensuring that the different country teams had the tools and support to gain and retain customers following market entry.

Mike is 54 & married with two adult children. His UK home is in Chester – and main interests are family, friends, rugby and choral music. At work – his single ambition is always to make a positive impact on any business challenge or situation. Since his appointment as Shell Gas Direct’s General Manager – he has moved the company forward to re-focus on customers - improve the service levels even further - and provided and the motivation for staff to do a good job and enjoy themselves in what they do.

Eric Salomon began his career in 1991 in the R&D division of the EDF Group in Paris overseeing transmission projects. From 1997, Eric was responsible for network operations and customer services for both gas and electricity in a French region. In his 17 years with the EDF Group, Eric has been offered the opportunity to work in various other entities of the group notably Germany, Martinique and now the UK.

Eric moved to Germany in 2001 to develop ENBW’s multi-utility bundled products before transferring to Martinique in 2004, where he managed the whole electricity supply chain for the Caribbean island before taking up his post in the UK in 2008.

He was recently appointed as Managing Director of Energy Services at EDF Energy in the UK, charged with delivering a key target in their Climate Commitments - helping UK customers reduce their CO2 emissions by 15% by 2020.

He is leading the development of low carbon solutions such as improved insulation, renewable energy and micro-generation for EDF Energy’s five million business and residential customers.

Alan is a Chartered Engineer with a background in control and automation in the process industries before becoming involved in energy management with Trend Controls and then TEAM Energy Auditing Agency

In 1999 he took over the management of ESTA through a period of heightened interest in energy and climate change issues. Alan has been heavily involved in many aspects of legislation including Building Regulations Part L, Building Energy Labelling, Carbon Reduction Commitment and the Energy Services Directive.

Dominic Whittome is an energy management consultant with 20 years background in the oil, gas and electricity industry.

On completing postgraduate research into the WTI Futures Market in 1988 at the University of Exeter, he worked as energy economist for the European Commission on a one year assignment before joining Mobil Europe as commercial analyst and negotiator. He later served as North Sea gas negotiator for Agip UK and EDF Energy, where he was appointed as Head of Gas Trading and established its Gas Shipping Operation in London.

He established Mainline Energy, an independent energy management practice in 2004 and also assists the Major Energy Users Council as policy advisor.