Ben Burggraaf - CEO, Net Zero Industry Wales

Ben Burggraaf is the CEO of Net Zero Industry Wales (NZIW) — a not-for-profit body which provides independent guidance and support to Welsh industries in their transition to net zero.

Established in 2022 to provide a neutral and trusted voice within the sector, NZIW supports a growing membership of industry, academia, and public sector organisations. NZIW empowers these organisations to play an active role in Wales’ delivery of net zero — with the ultimate aim of making Wales the country of choice for sustainable goods and services.

With over 20 years’ experience in implementing energy efficiency projects and technology alongside the development of net zero strategies, Ben bridges the gap between industry and regulators — accelerating the delivery of low carbon projects through co-creation with key planning and permitting partners.

This includes governing Wales’ growing number of industrial clusters (regional) and Industrial Hubs (place based) such as SWIC and NEW-ID as well as hubs including The Milford Haven Energy Cluster and Deeside Decarbonisation Forum.

His background in energy consumption and renewable generation, including eight years at Welsh Water and six years at Tata Steel Europe makes Ben well placed to provide practical guidance and resources to help Welsh and UK-wide industry in their transition to taking up low carbon technologies.

Most recently, Ben sat at the helm of Net Zero Industry Wales’ first ever conference, ‘EmpowerCymru’ — which brought together industries, investors, public sector organisations and thought-leaders to discuss progress and future strategies for Wales’ journey to net zero. From this, the start of a roadmap has been created to attract global and UK capital to Wales.