RECENT SPEECHES  2008-2009

A key part of the work I do is making speeches – at a wide variety of events, from corporate conferences to campaigning organisations.  These include speaking at trade association events covering chocolate, detergents and nappies, presenting to the European Management team at McDonalds and communications executives at Shell, as well as being the key note speaker at the Green Funeral Exhibition and participating in a Question Time style debate with David Milliband.   My style is light, accessible and often humourous.  Where slides are used they’ll be pictorial. 

"Let me thank you for a really great and inspirational presentation at P&G Earthday in Geneva.  We keep getting positive feedback about you"  
 
"Please accept my thanks and admiration for your brilliant presentation - everyone commented on how interesting and informative it was."  South Somerset Together

 RECENT SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS

 CITRUS TALK (Aug10)

Business networking for advertising industry

Aluminium drinks cans

 ALUPRO (Jul10)

Aluminium packaging industry celebrating 21 years of recycling

 PAFA SPEECH (May10)

Plastics & Films Association AGM

YOUNG FOUNDATION 
Centre for Social Innovation

EXETER TRANSITION TOWN
 YARLINGTON HOUSING (Mar10) BRYANSTON ECO SUMMIT (Mar10)   M&S PLAN A INTERNAL CONFERENCE (Mar10)

Big Ben - House of Commons speech

HOUSES OF COMMONS

Speech for British Gas Generation Green in the House of Commons (Feb10)

Julia Hailes speaking at the Met Office - Sep09 
 

 HONG KONG SPEECH

Speaking to IT professionals from Hong Kong corporates (Dec09)

BIG GREEN HOME SHOW 

Green Building Exhibition (Oct09)

 SOMERSET WASTE PARTNERSHIP 

Workshop covering packaging and waste issues - see blog (Nov09)

CHOCOLATE & CONFECTIONARY

Speaking in Brussels for CAOBISCO (Sep09)

Julia Hailes May Day Summit 2009

DISPOSABLE HYGIENE PRODUCTS

Speaking in Malta for EDANA Conference (Sep09)

 OECD PARIS (Jun09 PRINCE OF WALES MAY DAY SUMMIT   CIO CONNECT UK  (Jun09)
VISIT ENGLAND -
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
SUSTAINABILITY AND RECESSION GREENGAGED
DESIGN COUNCIL
Orange Logo

GREEN ORANGE

Speaking to the business division of Orange

SOAPS & DETERGENTS
AISE

Speaking to the detergent industry in Croatia

RECKITT & BENCKISER EVENT

Presentation to the companies executives

 

SHELL INTERNATIONAL

Speaking to Shell communications executives on energy issues

 

Shell Logo
FOOD & DRINK INNOVATION NETWORK MERRILL LYNCH OLGAS ONLINE GREEN AWARDS

CITRUS TALK  (Jul10)

"Many thanks for the brilliant presentation you gave yesterday at Citrus.  You'll be glad to know that it was the subject of much debate for most of the night - from shock at the waste within both the Armed Forces and the NHS to great debate on exactly whether we get buried, cremated or resomated...."  

Citrus is an informal business networking group launched earlier this year by Grey Advertising.  Previous speakers include Baroness Susan Greenfield, Damon Hill and Peter Hain MP.  

Grey Advertising

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ALUPRO - KEY NOTE SPEECH AND CHAIR

Alupro - the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation - were celebrating 21 years of aluminium packaging recycling.  During this time recycling of aluminium packaging has risen from less than 2% to more than 40%.   Given that an average of 9 tonnes of CO2 are saved for every 1 tonne recycled, the more recycling the better.  My view is that aluminium in packaging has many benefits but these are pretty well eliminated if its not recycled.  There was one particular industry stalwart in the audience who felt I was too challenging on this subject but my brief was to be provocative and the feedback from others was very positive. 

 I identified four things that need to change, as follows:  1. Weight based targets - aluminium is light and so can be ignored for recycling over heavier materials such as paper; 2. Local authority incentives - government rewards for recycling don't relate to the value of materials;  3. Commercial recycling - recycling systems for pubs, clubs and restaurants are less developed than domestic recycling; 4. On the Go recycling - a significant proportion of drink cans are consumed on the go and yet recycling schemes for these are in their infancy.   Alupro have launched Every Can Counts to promote more on the go recycling of cans.

Aluminium drinks cans

Alupro - Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation

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SPEECH FOR PAFA - PLASTICS & FILMS ASSOCIATION AGM (May10)

The AGM for the Plastics and Films Association was held at the Dorchester Hotel.   I was the key note speaker following David Bebee the PAFA Chairman.  With some challenges for the plastics industry, I concluded with a poem about plastic bags.  See my blog by clicking here. 

"Everyone I have spoken to has commented on the value and inspiration they have received from the day and your part was a significant factor in all of that. Just the right balance of relevance and a very special personal flavour with knickers and goldfish thrown in (metaphorically I hasten to add)."

Peter Woodall, PRP Consulting and co-organiser..

  PAFA Logo  Plastic bags

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M&S SUPPLIERS CONFERENCE ON PLAN A

M&S Plan A Suppliers Conference

M&S suppliers came to be briefed on the M&S's groundbreaking Plan A initiative.  Sir Stuart Rose announced that M&S planned to be the world's most sustainable retailer by 2015.   I was asked to talk to packaging suppliers about key issues for them.  One particular them I covered in my presentation was the switch in emphasis away from measuring the environmental impact of packaging from weight to carbon. 



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YARLINGTON HOUSING (Mar10)

I was the key note speaker at the Yarlington Housing Annual meeting, held in Yeovil, which is close to where I live.   The organisation had a number of sustainability initiatives but hadn't yet managed to fully integrate the principles into their housing developments.  

Yarlington Housing

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DORSET SCHOOLS ECO SUMMIT (Mar10)

Dorset Schools Eco Summit

Attended by over 40 schools and held by Bryanston, the Dorset Schools Eco-Summit helped schools share their green commitments and encourage each other.   TV presenter, Dick Strawbridge (It's Not Easy Being Green and Scrapheap Challenge) and I co-presented the day - I worked out that we were speaking for over 5 hours during the day.  Rob Hopkins from Transition Culture also came and spoke at the day.

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HOUSE OF COMMONS GENERATION GREEN MANIFESTO(Feb10)

Greg Barker, Shadow Minister for Climate hosted the reception at the House of Commons.  It was attended by a number of MPs, including John Gummer, as well as organisations like Global Action Plan, Waste Watch and education bodies, as well as the members of the Generation Green Youth think tank, and their parents.   The event was organised for the team to present their manifesto ideas to Government - they met Ed Milliband, Minister for Climate Change in the morning.   I have been the expert advisor taking the children round some environmental projects and helping pull together their thoughts.

Greg Barker - Shadow Minister for Climate

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HONG KONG SPEECH (Dec09)

Think of the large Hong Kong businesses - Cathay Pacific, HSBC, Jardines and Swires.  They were all represented at the workshops I spoke at organised by CIO Connect, a trade association for Information Officers working in corporates.   The topic was 'A Climate for Change' - rather appropriate just a few days in advance of the Copenhagen Conference.  Hong Kong Kowloon Street Scene

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SOMERSET WASTE PARTNERSHIP WORKSHOP (Nov09)TEXT

I gave a key note presentation at a workshop organised by the Somerset Waste Partnership, who are responsible for waste throughout the county. My speech highlighted some of the public misperceptions about waste, packaging and plastic bags. I also illustrated the shocking problem that we have in what's known as WEEE waste. This rather cute acronym stands for ' Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment'. 

See blog for an article I wrote on this.  And Click here for links to packaging briefing sheets I wrote for M&S.  And click her for links to plastic bags.

Steve Read, MD of Somerset Waste Partnership said this about my presentation:

"Julia brings a fresh and challenging perspective to the issue of packaging. She's keen to puncture the myths and misconceptions consumers have about packaging but she doesn't let the retailers off the hook. Not afraid to be controversial, Julia's presentation got people talking at a higher level"

Somerset Waste

Somerset Waste

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THE BIG GREEN HOME SHOW (Oct09)

"I had to drop you a line to say 'a huge thank-you' to you for being such a fantastic guest speaker  - you were absolutely superb!....  You made a very inspiring speech and I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending you to other event organisers as a guest speaker on eco or renovation matters as a whole - or as an after-dinner speaker - as you have such a warm and welcoming 'touch' to your delivery."

Naomi Handford-Jones, Big Green Home Show, Centre Events Manager, The National Self Build & Renovation Centre,  Oct 2009

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CAOBISCO - CHOCOLATE & CONFECTIONARY (Sep09)

The European trade association for the chocolate and confectionary industry - CAOBISCO held its 50th Anniversary event in Brussels.  My speech on sustainability issues focused on traceability in the supply chain, sustainable agriculture, climate change and packaging.   But I didn't forget to mention obesity and fair trade.   At the dinner after the event I was presented a gift for giving a challenging and provocative speech. 

“Julia Hailes ignited the CAOBISCO Sustainability Round Table with her incisive observations and commentary. Her experience and mastery of her subject gave valuable insights to the mainly business audience from across the European and International chocolate, biscuit and confectionery industries”

David Zimmer, Secretary General CAOBISCO, Sep09

Caobisco

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EDANA - DISPOSABLE HYGIENE PRODUCTS (Sep09)

The European trade association for disposable hygiene products held their annual event in Malta.  My speech highlighted concerns about our disposable society, explained the public confusion over what is the greenest nappy option and looked at whether eco-labelling will help or hinder environmental improvements. 

  EDANA in Malta

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SPEECH FOR CIO CONNECT (Jun09)

I was invited to make one of two key note speeches at the Royal Society by CIO Connect.  CIO stands for Chief Information Officers and its members expertise is in information technology.   The them of the event was change - Climate for Change - Business in Transformation.  And my brief was to talk about how businesses will be affected by climate change and how they should respond.   I was then invited by CIO Connect to speak to businesses in Hong Kong in December 2009 - click here for link.

Cio Connect

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OECD - PARIS (Jun09)

Julia Hailes at OECD Paris

It was one of those conferences where people sit around the table with signs in front of them saying which country they're representing - and there were interpreter's boxes through glass panels above them.  This one in Paris was hosted by OECD and was all about consumer empowerment and responsible business conduct.  I was chairing a session about what consumer's expect.

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PRINCE OF WALES MAY DAY SUMMIT (May09)

The North West Regional event of the Prince of Wales May Day Summit was held in the Concorde Hangar at Manchester Airport.  Periodically the sound of aircraft almost drowned out the speakers.  And I had rather mixed feelings about sharing the room with the world's most polluting aircraft, however magnificent the engineering!   But the event was well attended with over 200 business people signing up to the Network's climate change pledge in Manchester. There was a real buzz about the place as the delegates were genuinely interested in what changes they could make to their business and exchanging information on what they'd already done.  I made a key note presentation encouraging individual and corporate action rather than waiting for either government or indeed technological progress to come up with the solution to climate change.

Concorde

Click here to view the video

"I thoroughly enjoyed your speech and the real examples of how individuals at all levels can make a difference - very thought provoking and inspiring." 
 Raksha Pattni, Regional Director of Business in the Community

"Julia has an infectious personality which makes her a mesmorising speaker. Her speech at BITC's May day summit was compelling, yet told in a really engaging and humourous way.  Julia's passion and conviction really brought to life why we were all sitting there.  As a communications specialist I know how difficult it can be for speakers to get up in front of a large audience and 'be themselves'. If only we could bottle Julia's charisma!"   
Angela Terry, Triffid (brand and communications consultancy), (May 2009)

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SUSTAINABILITY AND RECESSION - PROCTER & GAMBLE (Apr09)

P&G Building

"Let me thank you for a really great and inspirational presentation at P&G Earthday in Geneva."

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VISIT ENGLAND - SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

VisitEngland with support from the national tourism organisations in Britain and Ireland hosted the first dedicated area on sustainable tourism at the Best of Britain and Ireland Travel Trade Forum (26 and 27 March).  I chaired the day's sessions covering topics including hotels, conservation holidays and green destinations.  The organisers said: "Your panels and moderation went very well - everyone was pleased and enthused."

Visit England

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GREEN ORANGE (Sep08)

Orange

Mobile phones may not be top of your list of environmental concerns.  But the mobile phone operators are being challenged by their customers - particularly businesses - about what they're doing.  Metro Research was asked by Orange to do some research on this issue - and I joined them in giving a presentation at a workshop for Orange executives. 

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GREENGAGED - DESIGN COUNCIL (Sep08)

The Design Council launched their Greengaged week (15th-19th September 2008) with a Big Bang Breakfast.  Alongside me on the panel were Clive Grinyer of Cisco, Ed McCann of Expedition Engineering and Dorothy Mackenzie from Dragon.  We were their to talk about the role of design in sustainability and more specifically about the extent to which designers have a key responsibility in the fight to prevent climate change.  I think that designers are too focused on existing products and solutions but need to be more visionary in their thinking.  However, the challenge is to come up with good ideas for the planet that also make business sense - it's difficult to get companies on board if they can't see any commercial benefit for them.....

Design Council

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KEY NOTE SPEECH AT THE OLGAS - ONLINE GREEN AWARDS (jul08)

IMRG

I don't buy very much but what I do buy is mostly online - perhaps as much as 90% of my purchases, including food.   I discovered that the green credentials of home shopping only really stacks up with efficient delivery systems in place.  And that one of the most wasteful systems is timed delivery slots chosen by customers because it means a vehicle can't cover nearly as many households - so more trips and more emissions.  

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KEY NOTE SPEAKER AT RECKITT & BENCKISER EVENT (jul08)

Reckitt Benckiser's Carbon 20 initiative commits to a 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020.  The most significant thing about this commitment is that it includes the carbon emissions during consumer use, as well as in producing products.  Given that 90% of the impact of a surface cleaner is in our homes, this means there's a lot to be done in advising all of us on low impact cleaning.  For a start don't use a kitchen towel every time you have a spill!   This was one of many issues I talked about in my presentation to Reckitt Benckiser executives, meeting in Marlow.  I've since started advising Reckitt Benckiser on sustainability issues.

Dettol

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SPEECH IN CROATIA FOR AISE (Jun08)

AISE

AISE - the European Soaps & Detergents Manufacturer's trade association invited me to speak at the annual conference, which this year was held in Croatia, near Dubrovnik.  I was asked to be provocative and the feedback was that my speech was 'well appreciated' and that 'it was good to have some challenging views".   See Blog for more.

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FOOD & DRINK INNOVATION NETWORK (Apr08)

"Julia Hailes is an inspiring speaker who really brought our seminar alive with her pithy personal insights, and funny stories, which she uses to push home important points.  Her talk was well liked by our audience."

Jeffrey Hyman, Chairman, The Food and Drink Innovation Network, Food Ethics Seminar, April 2008

 Food and Drink Innovation Network

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MERRILL LYNCH SPEECHES (Mar & Apr 08)

The Forward Planning seminar at Merrill Lynch for Global Wealth Management clients focused on entrepreneurship and women.  The panel discussion included Dr Rebecca Harding a founding partner of Delta Economics, Karen Darby the founder of SimplySwitch and Caroline Plumb the CEO of a rather inspiring research company called Fresh Minds.  I gave the key note presentation on my environmental career - but I was also able to talk about my entrepreneurial ventures which included selling daffodils and mushrooms as a child and inventing magnetic L plates! 

The second Merrill Lynch event I spoke at included a key note speech by Marjorie Scardino, in place of Anita Roddick - I've written about it in my blog...

Merrill Lynch

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SHELL INTERNATIONAL (Feb08)

Shell speech

The speaker for a meeting of Shell communications executives cancelled at the last minute because she had lost her voice.  I was contacted by the speaking agency and replaced her.  My brief was to talk about energy issues. This included a 20 minute talk, followed by a Q&A session, further discussions over dinner, where I table hopped for each course and finally a summary to give feedback.  Shell's feedback was that they were surprised and impressed by my knowledge of environmental issues.

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