New year, new Executive Director for ECCI

ECCI has kicked off the new year with the appointment of a new Executive Director - professor of Carbon Management, author and government advisor Prof. Dave Reay.

Starting in early February, Prof. Reay will be responsible for the longer term strategic direction of the centre, working closely with colleagues at ECCI and of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences.

Dave Reay is Professor of Carbon Management at the University of Edinburgh and has authored over 100 articles on climate change, including 5 books. Dave is also an advisor for the Scottish Government on rural policy and climate change and his latest project involves managing his farm on the West Coast of Scotland to sequester a lifetime's carbon emissions.

ECCI’s Interim Executive Director Ed Craig will become Deputy Director from February and will continue to lead and oversee the innovation and international activities as Dean of the Low Carbon College.

Ed led the establishment of ECCI through the award-winning Low Carbon Innovation Project and is a global thought leader on low carbon innovation and global knowledge exchange.

ECCI Executive Director, Prof. Dave Reay, said: “I am hugely excited about taking on this role and working more closely with the brilliant staff in ECCI."

"It's hard to imagine a more important time to be involved in delivering real solutions to the climate crisis, nor a better Centre, University and nation to do it in.”

Prof. Simon P Kelley, Head of the School of GeoSciences, said: “I am delighted that Prof. Dave Reay has accepted the role of Executive Director of ECCI following the recent selection process."

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Ed Craig for the great job he has done as Interim Executive Director and for his energy and commitment to ECCI and the University.”

ECCI Deputy Director, Ed Craig, said: "I’m delighted to welcome Dave to ECCI and look forward to working with him to devise and forge our impactful response to the climate crisis in this vital year of COP26 in Glasgow."

ECCI's work is fuelled by in-house expertise and networks of thought leaders across government, business and academia. Together the Centre and its partners power cutting-edge public policy and innovative low carbon businesses projects and professional education to deliver real change - in Scotland and globally.

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Image credit: Sarah Ford-Hutchison