Rebecca leads our work on planning at Regen. She holds a PhD in environmental planning and has significant expertise in community benefits and community engagement for renewable energy projects. She is a recognised expert on planning for renewable energy and her research has been used to shape planning policy.

Rebecca’s recent work includes our Local Planning for Renewables paper and a project with the Royal Town Planning Institute exploring the links between Local Area Energy Planning and spatial planning. Rebecca also leads our members working group on planning.

Prior to joining Regen, Rebecca worked as a senior lecturer in environmental planning, where she designed and led masters-level teaching on renewable energy. She has won a number of awards for her work, including the Economic and Social Research Council Award for outstanding early career impact.

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Rachel leads Regen's strategic partnerships and impact, cementing our position as a leading independent force shaping the strategic pathway to and delivery of a clean energy future. As a working mother, Rachel is passionate about diversity and spearheads the ReWiRE programme, championing inclusion by empowering women in the renewables sector and building a vibrant network.

After graduating, Rachel began her career in the environmental sector and held a variety of event management and communication roles, including organising the Tour of Britain. Joining Regen in 2009, Rachel is passionate about industry-wide change and influencing policy and has received a British Empire Medal for her services to the energy sector.

Growing up in Devon, Rachel loves being outside—at the beach, on the moor, or in the woods. You can find her horse riding, walking her dog Biscuit, or growing vegetables!

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Bex is Head of Development at Field, leading the development of Field’s UK portfolio of BESS assets. Previously to BESS, her background is in offshore wind where she worked to secure consent on some of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, most recently with Vattenfall where she was Consents Manager for the Norfolk Zone.

Since joining Regen, Jessica's research has focused on community energy and achieving a just transition. She is particularly passionate about finding avenues to more meaningfully engage and bring communities along on the net zero journey.

Jessica holds a PhD in geography and sustainable development from the University of St Andrews, where she demonstrated how community ownership and local context influence acceptance of onshore wind energy projects in Scotland and Newfoundland, Canada. Drawing on this background, she leads Regen's stakeholder research support team, providing support and methodological guidance to ensure high-quality stakeholder research across projects.

When not working, Jessica can be found outside – usually spending time by the sea or hiking in the hills.

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Over the past two decades, I've been involved in numerous transformative development projects across the UK, including major renewables projects. I bring a wealth of expertise in leading multi-disciplinary design teams, meeting financial objectives, providing strategic advice, devising innovative planning strategies, and nurturing robust stakeholder relationships. My passion for sustainable development is matched by my commitment to advancing the onshore wind energy agenda, reflecting my dedication to contributing to a greener future. I'm a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Emily is a passionate communications leader, specialising in strategic communications, campaign delivery and social value creation for energy infrastructure. Emily has significant national experience crafting accessible communications strategies to make technically-driven development proposals relatable, driving engagement and building understanding in the face of rising misinformation and political division on the net zero agenda. Emily works for Turley, a team of trusted independent advisors that works collaboratively with clients to shape a more sustainable future.

Rob co-founded the E&I planning team in 2021. He advises on planning matters related to large infrastructure projects, working with Savills planning and environment colleagues.

Sophie has over 15 years of experience in project management with a particular focus on environmental impact assessment (EIA) for both renewable energy projects and large-scale commercial and residential land development projects.

Sophie takes a truly multi-disciplinary approach working in collaboration with the client, technical specialists, architects, planners, commercial managers, local planning authorities and consultees.

David Hardy is a Partner in planning practice at CMS, with over 25 years’ experience advising public and private sector clients on a range of planning issues. David specialises in contentious planning issues, environmental and compulsory purchase-related work and litigation and has appeared as advocate at more than 400 inquiries.  

David has a particular interest and expertise in the renewable energy sector (including onshore wind, solar and biomass).

Kirsty is a Principal Planner at Enso Energy, one of the leading developers of renewable energy projects in the UK. Kirsty has over 12 years’ experience in delivering energy projects and is the DCO lead on the Helios Renewable Energy Project.

Hayden joined Climate Outreach in July 2025, helping to ensure Government, MPs and businesses meaningfully engage voters on the climate and energy transitions. Prior to joining Climate Outreach, Hayden led Public Affairs for the Refugee Council and provided the Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees. He also worked for fuel poverty charity National Energy Action during the height of the gas price crisis post-pandemic and has experience working in Parliament as a Researcher on Climate and Environmental issues. Hayden was inspired to work towards environmental justice after being involved with the Extinction Rebellion movement in 2019 and believes that involving communities and voters in decisions around our climate and energy is vital to secure a liveable future.

Since joining Regen in 2024, Holly has provided analysis and research on projects spanning planning policy, biomethane, social value from renewable projects and electricity networks.

Her background in environmental science has helped develop Regen’s work on broader aspects of the energy transition, including biodiversity, land use and the environment. As part of Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living project, she wrote a guide on the opportunities for integrating nature restoration with clean power projects.

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