The Foundation

Louise Kingham OBE has spent over 25 years working with energy professionals around the world. She has led the Energy Institute (EI) from 2003, which is the leading professional body for energy promoting excellence by developing knowledge, skills and good practice in the global energy sector. Prior to this appointment, Louise was director general of the Institute of Petroleum and chief executive of the Institute of Energy.

Louise is also a board member of the Powerful Women initiative that works to promote better gender balance among the energy sector’s leadership. She is a board member and former chair of the Energy Industries Club and she volunteers her time to judge several energy industry awards programmes.

Louise was awarded an OBE in 2011 for her work in relation to services to the energy industry and is a Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI). In 2017, she received an Honorary Science Doctorate from the University of Bath.

Margaret Cobbold has worked in the environmental and waste services industry for over three decades. She was executive director of a grant-giving organisation and charity, The Veolia Environmental Trust. During this period, she was responsible for overseeing hundreds of individual projects across the UK, funded through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. Schemes ranged from practical community initiatives to significant research projects aimed at reducing waste and protecting the environment working with businesses, charitable organisations and government.  During Margaret’s period in charge of the Trust, she also drove a period of significant change, including the creation of new operational processes for the business.

Margaret’s background prior to this was in marketing and communications, working for Veolia and Waste Management Ltd. Among other achievements, she was involved in the introduction of bi-weekly waste collection and recycling, working in partnership with local authorities. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.