The BE-ST board

Managing Director, Athena Leadership Coaching and Consulting

Guided by over 30 years’ experience in construction and housing development as well as her expertise in leadership coaching and consulting, Nicola leads the board in supporting the delivery of BE-ST’s mission to accelerate the built environment’s just transition to zero carbon.

Managing Director, AC Whyte & Co Ltd

As Managing Director of the award-winning family business A.C. Whyte & Co. Ltd, Jennifer Phin has established herself as one of Scotland's most experienced major refurbishment and energy efficiency Main Contractors.

Finance & Commercial Director Edinburgh Napier University

Andy represents BE-ST'‘s host institution which provides all the administrative support to the Innovation Centre. Andy is a commercially focused Finance Director with extensive experience of working internationally with entrepreneurial and VC backed organisations as well as large corporates. 

Principal and Chief Executive, South Lanarkshire College

Stella McManus has worked in the further education sectors across Scotland and England for over 18 years. She is passionate about lifelong learning and the transformational change that education can have on the lives of people at any age and from any background. Stella joined South Lanarkshire College as Depute Principal, before being appointed to Principal and Chief Executive in April 2023.

CEO, UK Green Building Council

Simon McWhirter leads UKGBC’s policy and political work, as well as overseeing the corporate communications with members, media and the wider industry. He also has oversight of UKGBC’s portfolio of place-based projects and devolved activity, including heading up UKGBC Scotland.

Head of Technical Learning & Development, Opencast

Linzi is a learning professional specialising in developing and delivering learning strategies, designing impactful and innovative learning experiences and resources, and establishing the skills and learning ecosystems required to deliver a strong culture of continuous learning within corporate environments.

University of Edinburgh

Sean is Chair of Future Construction at the School of Engineering and Director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure at the University of Edinburgh. He leads a number of projects involving interdisciplinary teams and systems and is programme lead for the MSc in Future Infrastructure, Sustainability & Climate Change.

Professor, University of Strathclyde

Lori is an engineer with a background spanning the application of simulation in environmental engineering, architecture and sustainable design and has been active in the energy and environment field for over 25 years both in practice and research, working in the private and public sectors.

Managing Director, Architype

An Architect since 1987, Jonathan became a director of Architype in 1989, established the Hereford office in 1996, and became overall Managing Director in 2015. Jonathan has led the development of Architype’s innovative approach to sustainable design.

Head of Supply Chains Innovation – Energy and Housing Unit within the Industrial Transformation Division

Her role is to lead the development of cross-government frameworks and reporting on the Green Industrial Strategy, coordinating the information from the workstreams on the five priority areas within the GIS. The Unit also has a more specific role in Construction and Steel, which forms part of the wider supply chain.

Scottish Government - Observer

Sharon has been working with the sector since 2019, through the Construction Leadership Forum and it’s Transformation Action Plan. She provides support and advice to ministers on the Construction sector. Collaboration, codesign and collective responsibility are key themes to driving progress and BE-ST are valued delivery partners.

Associate Director, Architype

Ann-Marie has specialisms in Passivhaus and estate de-carbonisation. She holds a master’s in environmental building design from Cardiff university having graduated as an Architect in 2008.

Global Business Project Manager at Stora Enso

Mila builds new collaborative industry-government relationships, influences policy decision-making and provides thought leadership on sustainable Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Dr Duncheva aids building designers and all construction stakeholders in the technical aspects of mass timber design to grow the Sylva™ kit of parts market in the UK on behalf of Stora Enso.

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Chiara is an experienced Architect and artist with a broad background spanning the private, public, and third sectors. She has worked with a wide range of stakeholders and is deeply committed to supporting communities in taking meaningful climate action as a way to collectively enhance the places we live.

ECD Architects

With a deep-rooted passion for sustainable design and community focused architecture, Chloëis committed to creating spaces that enhance both people’s lives and the environment. As an Architect at ECD Architects, she has gained invaluable experience across residential, educational, and commercial projects, with a growing focus on Passivhaus and retrofit strategies that prioritise long-term environmental resilience.

Carbon Futures

Zarja Krevelj is an Architectural Technologist at HLM Architects with a lifelong passion for designing spaces. From sketching floor plans as a child to pursuing architectural technology through her love for maths and physics, her journey has always been rooted in curiosity and creativity.

Managing Director, McTaggart Construction

Janice Russell leads a company that specialises in delivering high-quality developments for the social housing sector. Under her leadership, McTaggart has established strong partnerships with housing associations and local authorities across the Scotland, consistently delivering affordable housing solutions that meet the diverse needs of communities.

Senior Design Manager, Kier

Emily is a qualified Architect now working as a Senior Design Manager for Kier, passionate about community enhancement through architectural conservation and retrofit. For me, construction isn’t just about building; it is about ensuring we create spaces for people to thrive in a way that build better careers for all whilst being the change we seek across the industry.

Head of Sustainability (Building Structures), Ramboll UK

Brogan is an award-winning chartered civil engineer and environmentalist passionate about creating a regenerative built environment. She drives Ramboll UK Buildings sustainability strategy focused on decarbonisation, circular economy, biodiversity, and resilience. 

She has been recognised in the 'edie 30 Under 30' and received awards such as 'Best Young Woman Engineer' (WICE Awards) and Top 50 Women in Engineering & Sustainability (Women’s Engineering Society).

Principal Energy Consultant | Architect | Passivhaus Designer , Collective Architecture

As Principal Energy Consultant at Collective Energy, James leads the performance-driven design of projects across the UK, combining his building physics expertise with a people-centred approach to low-energy and low-carbon retrofit and new build. James brings his experience as an Architect and Passivhaus designer to shape places and spaces with a focus on resilience, comfort, performance, affordability, and the people they serve.

Director, Real Asset Analytics

Parag is a building scientist with a background in civil engineering and 10+ years of experience in product development, innovation, research, and business development. His expertise and experience include decarbonisation planning and benchmarking of the built environment, analysis of energy use and production in and around buildings, health and wellbeing in building operation, integrating climate risk analysis into performance evaluation and planning, and the use of machine learning and data science in software and hardware for buildings.

Founder, The Circle Partnership

Vanessa is a social enterprise leader with a background in asset management, property management and leadership development. A chartered surveyor by training, she founded The Circle Partnership in 2020 in order to support mid-career women across the Built Environment with a focus on talent retention at this crucial developmental stage. As a trained coach, she is dedicated to strengthening the cultural, diversity and leadership capacity across the built environment.

Director of Strategic Partnerships and Transformation at Centrica.

Doug is Director of Strategic Partnerships and Transformation at Centrica, where he developed and leads a place-based approach to accelerate decarbonisation across the UK. He also founded Regenerative Futures, designing national and international programmes including the Built Environment Industry Transition Accelerator focused on SME growth, systems change, and global collaboration. He brings strategic insight, delivery expertise, a global network across government, industry & academia, and a long-standing commitment to inclusive innovation in the built environment.