Ian Marchant, Green Challenge Juror Speaks to our Blog…

Ian Marchant, jury member of the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge competition, took some time to tell us why he’s so excited about this year’s entrants….

“Two topics that have long fascinated me are innovation and the need for sustainable development. At Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) I introduced an innovation scheme called ‘license to innovate’ which encourages all of our staff to come up with ideas.”

“So far hundreds have done so with ideas covering such diverse topics as remote controlled helicopters, new processes for issuing power meter charging keys and safety improvements. I am also committed to sustainable development both of the economy and enterprise level. In Scotland I chair the 2020 Delivery Group which is seeking to help the Scottish Government meet its tough targets under the Climate Change Act. At SSE sustainability is one of our key issues and we are the largest investor in renewable energy in the UK and Ireland and have invested in over 20 clean tech companies.”
When I was invited to be a judge at this Postcode Lottery Green Challenge competition it combined these two passions alongside an involvement with the People’s Postcode Lottery who have raise fantastic sums for charities that I am involved with.

You don’t often get such an alignment of interests so I agreed straight away and got my diary to fit. I’m really looking forward to it.”