Ragne is head of the Heat Planning Team in the Scottish Government. She works on heat decarbonisation, with a focus on Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies, public sector leadership on heat decarbonisation and wider heat decarbonisation policies.

Born in Belfast, Paul was raised in Edinburgh, attending Stewart’s Melville College. He has an honours degree in Economics from the University of Aberdeen and an MBA from University of Edinburgh.

Paul is a professional economist and, since 1992, has specialised in higher and further education markets, policy evaluation and economic appraisal and impact assessment of capital projects.‬‬

After being elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2011, Paul initially served on both the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee, and the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. In addition to these roles, he served as the Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment.

In September 2012, Paul first became a Scottish Government Minister with portfolio responsibility for Environment and Climate Change, before being appointed to the positions of Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs in 2014, and Minister for Business, Energy and Innovation in 2016. Paul currently serves as the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, a post he has held since June 2018.

Paul’s current responsibilities include:

• Energy and Energy Consents
• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable Energy Industries
• Connectivity, including the Reaching 100% (R100) Programme
• Cross Government co-ordination on the Islands
• Ferries – including CMAL

Andrew is Mott MacDonald’s lead advisor for Scottish Government’s Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency (NDEE) Framework Project Support Unit (PSU). Supporting Scottish Government in the development of the Framework in 2015, and having an active lead in the PSU since 2016, Andrew has helped deliver multiple ‘guaranteed saving’ Energy Performance Contracts across Health, Higher Education and Local Authority estates. The NDEE Framework has seen a step change in public sector investment in energy efficiency projects, which will be shared with the audience.

Download Andrew’s presentation here.

Fiona began working in energy in 2016. She is primarily involved with data for identification for energy efficiency and low carbon projects. Fiona is currently involved in The Highland Council’s Energy Efficiency Scotland programmes and LHEES pilots.

Download Fiona’s presentation here.

Download Kathryn’s presentation here.