Sustainability Office

Professor Klaus-Dieter Rossade, Vice-Chancellor’s Sponsor for Sustainability

Professor Rossade is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies and the Vice-Chancellor’s sponsor for Sustainability at the OU. Under his leadership, sustainability will remain at the heart of the OU’s teaching, research and knowledge exchange. As the climate challenges grow, we will need to amplify the professional influencing power of our staff and students in their disciplines across all Faculties and Units at the OU. The stories we tell ourselves and others must become more urgent. Klaus-Dieter is Chair of the Sustainability Steering Group and is supported by Amy Cantle. 

Dr. Victoria Hands, Director of Sustainability

Dr Victoria Hands is a sustainability expert who empowers individuals and organisations to discover and adopt regenerative practices so they can transform their actions for sustainability. She promotes, trains, and coaches the implementation of long-term, preventative, inclusive, collaborative and integrated approaches. Victoria oversees OU policy, governance, data, reporting and implementation, and clarifies roles and objectives to ensure progress is aligned with the University's sustainability ambitions.

Gabriella Daroczi, Senior Manager Sustainability - Corporate 

Gabriella oversees key deliverables for the Sustainability Office, working collaboratively across the University to advance sustainability initiatives and projects. She has a strong commitment to social and environmental justice and brings a strategic approach to embedding sustainable practices across the organisation. A Chartered Marketer, Gabriella also holds qualifications in sustainability and project management, which underpin and enhance her work in this field.

Avril Moore, Executive Support Coordinator in GCLS

Avril is passionate about Sustainability and has been part of the team working to adopt a green search engine as default for OU managed devices.

Jodi Houghton, Carbon Coordinator

Jodi is based in our Estates team, and since August 2020 she has been supporting the OU's green initiatives and further work in sustainability. Jodi provides support to our Estates Carbon Management team and the wider Sustainability network at the OU. She also leads Go Green, the OU's staff-led green initiative, along with our mascot, Neville the Newt!  Go Green run regular events relating to the delivery of OU sustainability commitments and key priorities.

Tracey Ho, Energy Manager

Tracey is a sustainability specialist with experience in sustainability strategy development, implementation, analytics and reporting. Tracey has worked in the tertiary education sector in Sydney for over 9 years leading projects to deliver carbon reduction, climate change resilience, renewable energy procurement and onsite generation, waste reduction and resource recovery. Tracey is focusing on Scope 1 & 2 emissions reductions, supporting with data analysis and guidance on Scope 3 emissions and developing Estates environment policies.

Clare Watters, Carbon Project Manager

Clare is a dedicated and passionate sustainability professional with over fifteen years of experience. She has previously focused on the sustainability of buildings and businesses, supporting public and private enterprises to become more efficient and “green”, as well as working to upgrade energy and water efficiency in new and existing homes. Clare sits within the Estates team and will be completing practical larger-scale carbon projects within OU buildings that will reduce the OU’s carbon footprint, as well as supporting with wider sustainability initiatives.

Liz Davies, Strategy, Marketing and Communications

Liz is the SPARK (Sustainability Planning, Action and Reporting Kit) lead for Strategy, Marketing and Communications.

Teresa Cox, Senior Manager (Access Programme), Centre for Access, Open and Cross-curricular Innovation, PVC Students

Teresa is leading the Responsible Futures working group and is responsible for collecting and submitting evidence for accreditation.

Ebony Carberry
Strategy Manager (Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion) Scotland

Ebony is the Sustainability and SPARK (Sustainability Planning, Action and Reporting Kit) lead in Scotland. 

Kevin Donnelly, Information and Statistics Officer
The Open University in Ireland

Kevin is the Sustainability and SPARK (Sustainability Planning, Action and Reporting Kit) lead in Ireland.

Kerrie Phillips, Cyfarwyddwr Cynorthwyol: Strategaeth, Cynllunio ac Adnoddau (Cymru) / Assistant Director: Strategy, Planning and Resources (Wales)

Kerrie is the Sustainability and SPARK (Sustainability Planning, Action and Reporting Kit) lead in Wales.

Dr Peter Wood, Associate Lecturer and OU UCU Branch Vice President (0.25 FTE)

Peter is an expert in sustainability, teaching environmental studies, science and management for The Open University. He has conducted research into active and sustainable travel, energy policy, land use (treescapes), and behaviour change for the OU, NGOs and Think Tanks. He is the founding co-Chair of the University and College Union’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Committee, advising sector-wide negotiations on a Just Transition in UK Higher and Further Education. Within the OU, he supports efforts to develop, negotiate and implement key sustainability policies, including workers rights and trade union engagement.

"The University prides itself on its commitment to good industrial relations, and works with the recognised trade unions to design and support a just transition in the university’s operations. Our work to address the People and Planet league table is integrated into the university’s existing negotiating forums, particularly the ‘workers rights’ elements. In seeking to achieve net zero we recognise the need and effectiveness of trade union engagement, and will develop this further in the coming year.”  - Dr Peter Wood, Associate Lecturer and OU UCU Branch Vice President 

Meet the Net Zero Wales Team

Led by the Director of Sustainability, the team (please see PDF) is working alongside ten suppliers and internal groups, such as the Sustainability Coordination Group and Sustainability Steering Group, to deliver the Net Zero Project and support the University in its ambitions to achieve Net Zero in Wales by 2030. You can contact this team via [email protected]

Prof Stephen Peake, Professor of Climate Change, STEM

I work on a range of topics including Renewable Energy; Climate Science Communication; Sustainability Leadership; Systems Practice; Policy Science: Theory and Practice; Business Ethics and Sustainability; and International Climate Finance.

Dr Emma Dewberry, Senior Lecturer in Design, School of Engineering and Innovation, STEM

I have desire to see OU support ecological, as well as social, wellbeing and citizenship – and for that to be visibly present in the strategic ambition of the university. I am interested in understanding what constitutes sustainable education and how its breadth of content and approach can be supported across existing and new OU curricula – and getting colleagues engaged with exploring these ideas. 

Dr Martin Braun, SPS Teaching

I am a multilingual engineer, coach and teacher with a skill set spanning from business improvement to research and data analysis. I am interested in working in a position of some responsibility to contribute to the success of business-critical projects.

Dr Jim Hague, SPS, research

I have a wide variety of research interests centred around theoretical physics and applied maths. I also lead on a Cultured tissues project that has sustainability applications in pharmaceutical testing, regenerative medicine and cultured meat. 

Jodi Houghton, Carbon Coordinator

Ismay Mummery, Research Student, STEM

Lizzie McCauley, Digital Services Development Officer