Michael Sanfey, Head of Sales & Marketing with Greenstar

Michael Sanfey is head of Sales & Marketing at Greenstar, having joined the company in 2004.  Michael has previously held the positions of Chief Executive Retail for Budget Travel, Group Marketing Manager, Nissan Ireland and Director of Marketing for Evans Withycombe an NYSE quoted Property Company based in Phoenix Arizona. 

Prior to joining Greenstar, Michael was Director of Business Development for Kaymed.  Michael is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.

Tomás Sercovich, Senior CSR Consultant-Business in the Community Ireland

Tomás has been working in Ireland in corporate responsibility strategy advisory services to Ireland’s top 100 companies since 2002. His special areas of expertise are: European and international dimensions of corporate responsibility, measurement of stakeholder impact and corporate responsibility performance, communication of corporate responsibility initiatives, corporate responsibility amongst small and medium sized enterprises and corporate responsibility policy development advisory service for national government and local authorities.

He has advised companies including Irish Life & Permanent, O2 Ireland, Smurfit Kappa Group and CRH in the development of corporate responsibility reports and communications. In addition, he has supported the development and implementation of a corporate responsibility strategy in a wide range of top Irish companies including Vodafone Ireland, Glanbia and Diageo Ireland. Currently, Tomás is leading the development of Ireland’s first Corporate Responsibility Standard.

Tomás is a board member of CSR Europe and is a member of the Chambers Ireland Policy Council on CSR.

Duncan Stewart

Duncan Stewart has always been very committed to environmental and heritage issues especially regarding the protection of Dublin’s architectural heritage. During his student years, this interest culminated in a number of protests. In 1969 and 1970, Duncan led a group of students who occupied seven old Georgian buildings on Hume street at Stevens Green for over 6 months in order to prevent them from being demolished to make way for a more modern office block.

After qualifying, as a young architect Duncan left Ireland to broaden his horizons - he worked in Chicago, NY, Vienna, and Amsterdam. He returned to Dublin at the age of 23 to set up a small architectural practice. That same year he started lecturing at the school of Architecture in Bolton Street DIT.

After the Oil crisis in 73 it became clear to Duncan that our buildings were relying too much on fossil fuels and creating far to much pollution excessive energy demand. He set about trying to make and design buildings that were energy efficient using solar and other renewable sources. He designed and built a number of solar houses and also used mainly wood as a sustainable material. This became the theme of his practice.

Duncan has been Irelands leading environmental architect for the past ten years. He leads the debate in sustainability and has always been on the side of the householder when it comes to issues of consumer rights and quality in construction for the home buyer. People interested in building, buying or renovating homes can always learn something very valuable form Duncan through his following of diverse building stories in television programmes.

Gerard O’Neill - Amárach Group

Gerard O’Neill is Chairman of the Amárach Group. Gerard studied economics at the LSE before working at The Henley Centre for Forecasting in London. He then became business planning manager in An Post, before setting up Henley Centre Ireland. Subsequently re-named Amárach Consulting, the company became the first Irish agency to establish an overseas operation (in the UK).

Subsequently, Research Solutions and Amárach Consulting merged to form Amárach Research in 2008. Gerard is a member of ESOMAR, the Market Research Society and a director of AIMRO - the association of Irish market research organisations. He was previously chairman of the Marketing Society, and a director of the Irish Direct Marketing Association. He is also a member of IBEC's Energy Policy Committee. He speaks and writes regularly on the business impact of economic and environmental change.

Louise Dunne

Environmental Policy Expert 

Louise Dunne was educated at Trinity College Dublin (BA Psychology) and University College Dublin (MSc Environmental Resource Management, PhD Environmental Policy).

Prior to working at UCD she worked in publishing in San Francisco and New York . Past research has included: Environmental Indicators for the Urban Environment in Ireland; The Origin and Significance of Mushroom Stones in Lowland Karst regions in Ireland; Economic and Environmental Implications of the use of Environmental Taxes and Charges in the EU and its Member States; and Green Jobs in Dublin.

She is the representative of the Dublin branch of the Urban Forum for Sustainable Development.

Heidi Bedell

External Consultant 

Heidi Bedell is a graduate of NUI Maynooth holding a degree in Maths, Science and Biology and a H. Dip in Applied Science (Microbiology) from UCG. She has a varied background championing environmental issues at community, business and political level. She was an Active member of the Green party for 10 years as Party Co-ordinator, Chair of the National Council (policy making body) County Councillor for Malahide Ward, Fingal. She was also involved in running Sonairte National Ecology Centre, Laytown for 3 years.

In addition she served for 4 years on the board of the Fingal Enterprise Board. She was also involved with Malahide Tidy Towns during which time Malahide achieved a Gold Medal in the Florale Entente and represented Ireland on numerous occasions. In addition she has worked within a variety of small business sectors. Heidi currently works as a FAS CE Supervisor with TARGET Community Services.