WEBVTT 00:00:06.730 --> 00:00:09.550 You're listening to the Decarbonisation Dialogue, 00:00:09.570 --> 00:00:13.289 a podcast from Salix. Welcome to Delivering on 00:00:13.289 --> 00:00:16.269 Climate Change, our collective challenge. I am 00:00:16.269 --> 00:00:18.149 Hannah Walker and I believe that the best way 00:00:18.149 --> 00:00:20.550 to communicate a message is by being passionate 00:00:20.550 --> 00:00:23.210 about what you are talking about. Through that 00:00:23.210 --> 00:00:25.649 passion, I believe you take people with you and 00:00:25.649 --> 00:00:28.129 create action using your influence to make change 00:00:28.129 --> 00:00:32.070 and make a difference. Our task today is to get 00:00:32.070 --> 00:00:36.520 all of us to net zero. Now, today I have a wonderful 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:38.420 guest, a very special guest with me, and that's 00:00:38.420 --> 00:00:43.079 our Salix board chair, Natalie Evans, Baroness 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:46.619 Natalie Evans of Bowes Park. Full title is the 00:00:46.619 --> 00:00:49.479 Royal Honourable the Baroness Evans of Bowes 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:52.719 Park. Natalie is a current member of the House 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:55.820 of Lords. educated at Henrietta Barnett School 00:00:55.820 --> 00:00:58.240 at the University of Cambridge, studied social 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:00.979 and political sciences and was made a life peer 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:04.819 in September 2014 and has previously served as 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:06.760 Deputy Director of the Conservative Research 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:09.719 Department, previously Deputy Director of Policy 00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:12.159 Exchange and the Chief Operating Officer and 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.200 Director of the New Schools Network, leading 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:17.780 the charitable New Schools Network, which was 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:20.079 part of setting up more than 300 free schools 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:24.459 from 2011 to 2015. Natalie was a cabinet minister 00:01:24.459 --> 00:01:27.140 in the Theresa May and Boris Johnson administrations 00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:30.340 from 2016 to 2022 and as the longest serving 00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:32.700 leader of the House of Lords in 70 years and 00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:35.319 its youngest ever female leader. She had earlier 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:37.480 served in David Cameron's government as junior 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:39.840 minister responsible for education, justice, 00:01:40.099 --> 00:01:43.359 work and pensions. It's wonderful to have Natalie 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:45.540 here today. And thank you very much for joining 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:46.980 me. Thank you, Hannah. It's lovely to be here. 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:49.700 Thank you. So we're moving straight into our 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:52.620 questions. Can you please, we're all very curious, 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:54.840 but please tell us about your work in the Lords 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:58.099 and the challenges that you face there. And of 00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:00.019 course, as long as serving as the leader of the 00:02:00.019 --> 00:02:02.680 House of Lords in 70 years, you're the youngest 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:06.790 ever female leader. Can I ask what that feels 00:02:06.790 --> 00:02:11.310 like? Well, it's been a great honour. I've thoroughly 00:02:11.310 --> 00:02:14.650 enjoyed my time in the House of Lords. And I 00:02:14.650 --> 00:02:16.830 was leader at a particularly challenging time. 00:02:17.229 --> 00:02:20.689 So during the time I was in the Cabinet, we had 00:02:20.689 --> 00:02:24.349 Brexit, we had COVID, which was obviously an 00:02:24.349 --> 00:02:27.930 incredibly difficult time for everyone. And so 00:02:27.930 --> 00:02:31.509 I'm not sure I had any day that was the same. 00:02:31.750 --> 00:02:34.789 But it was fascinating. It's obviously a huge 00:02:34.789 --> 00:02:36.990 honour. to serve in the government and to be 00:02:36.990 --> 00:02:39.310 at the centre of things. And as leader of the 00:02:39.310 --> 00:02:41.810 House of Lords, part of my job was to help make 00:02:41.810 --> 00:02:44.310 sure that all government legislation got through 00:02:44.310 --> 00:02:46.389 during those times. So I was lucky enough to 00:02:46.389 --> 00:02:49.229 be involved in a whole array of different legislation 00:02:49.229 --> 00:02:52.210 and helping to make sure that we got the government's 00:02:52.210 --> 00:02:55.289 agenda through. So it's allowed me to have a 00:02:55.289 --> 00:02:59.169 broad spectrum of interest. And obviously one 00:02:59.169 --> 00:03:00.689 of the things that happened while I was leader 00:03:00.689 --> 00:03:03.550 was when Theresa May brought through the binding 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:06.759 targets. net zero we had the big environment 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:09.699 bill came through under boris johnson when i 00:03:09.699 --> 00:03:11.840 was leader so i've been lucky enough to sort 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:14.599 of be involved or albeit a higher level rather 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:17.139 than getting into the policy detail of a lot 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:20.599 of key legislation over the last few years and 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:23.800 since stepping down as leader of the lords i've 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:26.300 I still attend. I still regularly go there, but 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:28.979 it's allowed me to do some more things outside, 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:32.900 such as chairing Salix and sort of hopefully 00:03:32.900 --> 00:03:34.659 to be able to use my experience and expertise 00:03:34.659 --> 00:03:37.580 that I developed in my role in the Lords kind 00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:40.860 of more broadly and help organisations like Salix 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:43.979 thrive. Super. So you mentioned the binding targets 00:03:43.979 --> 00:03:46.360 and we've talked about the net zero challenge 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:50.810 that we have. Because my next question is. What 00:03:50.810 --> 00:03:54.129 interested you in Salix? We have big ambitions, 00:03:54.250 --> 00:03:57.129 but we're a relatively small organisation. And 00:03:57.129 --> 00:04:01.889 obviously we are tasked with this challenge of 00:04:01.889 --> 00:04:05.030 saving our planet. But what led you to Salix? 00:04:05.150 --> 00:04:10.750 How did you shift then from this huge amount 00:04:10.750 --> 00:04:13.110 of work that you're doing with government to 00:04:13.110 --> 00:04:15.090 an organisation? Well, actually, interestingly, 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:16.850 that was one of the questions I was asked at 00:04:16.850 --> 00:04:20.670 my interview. And to be honest, I was really 00:04:20.670 --> 00:04:23.290 interested in Salix and really like the work 00:04:23.290 --> 00:04:25.449 that we do because you can actually see a tangible 00:04:25.449 --> 00:04:27.829 impact. I think one of the things often with 00:04:27.829 --> 00:04:30.449 organisations, you've said Salix is quite small. 00:04:30.629 --> 00:04:33.370 It is, but it means it's focused and it can get 00:04:33.370 --> 00:04:35.329 things done. And I think one of the things I 00:04:35.329 --> 00:04:36.910 was particularly keen on with the organisation 00:04:36.910 --> 00:04:39.750 was the fact that the work that we do, you can 00:04:39.750 --> 00:04:42.389 see a tangible benefit and particularly has a 00:04:42.389 --> 00:04:45.750 real social impact, you know, improving people's 00:04:45.750 --> 00:04:48.930 homes, improving the experience of patients in 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:52.389 hospital. as we saw on a visit to the John Radcliffe 00:04:52.389 --> 00:04:55.050 Hospital last week in Oxford. It's actually about 00:04:55.050 --> 00:04:57.910 being able to deliver money, help ensure projects 00:04:57.910 --> 00:05:00.189 happen, which I think, as we heard, could never 00:05:00.189 --> 00:05:02.689 have happened without the money that Salix provides, 00:05:03.089 --> 00:05:05.430 but actually then see a benefit to people in 00:05:05.430 --> 00:05:07.569 their everyday lives at the end of the day. And 00:05:07.569 --> 00:05:09.470 often in some organisations, particularly if 00:05:09.470 --> 00:05:11.550 they're very big, you don't actually get that 00:05:11.550 --> 00:05:13.949 link that you can see between the funding or 00:05:13.949 --> 00:05:16.209 the work that you do with the actual outcomes 00:05:16.209 --> 00:05:19.540 that you... that you can deliver. So that was 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:22.060 one of the things that really attracted me to 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:24.319 the Salix job. And in some ways, Drew, from my 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.399 experience, as you mentioned, when I was chief 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:28.680 executive of New Schools Network, where we were 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:30.980 a charity that practically helped people who 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:33.279 wanted to set up free schools. So we worked with 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:36.100 groups, developing their applications, helped 00:05:36.100 --> 00:05:38.480 them through the process. And then actually two, 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:40.680 three, four years down the line, we're able to 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:42.839 see the schools themselves open. So I've always 00:05:42.839 --> 00:05:48.319 enjoyed seeing an actual outcome to what I've 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:50.360 been doing and I think Salix does that very well 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:52.959 and I'm very keen to help the organisation support 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:56.079 Kevin and the senior team to continue to do our 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.680 great work in this area. Super thank you and 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:00.920 going back you mentioned the John Radcliffe Hospital 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:03.459 in Oxford because of course I was on that visit 00:06:03.459 --> 00:06:07.800 with you last week very recently we looked a 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:09.980 lot we went behind the scenes we looked at we 00:06:09.980 --> 00:06:12.339 looked a lot of pipe pipe work we looked at the 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:16.250 air source heat pumps what were your what your 00:06:16.250 --> 00:06:19.790 impressions of going from you've been in the 00:06:19.790 --> 00:06:22.170 lords you've sat you've been with salix for a 00:06:22.170 --> 00:06:24.670 short while now um you've got a big understanding 00:06:24.670 --> 00:06:27.509 of the work but this is i think one of your first 00:06:27.509 --> 00:06:30.449 site visits if not your first at a hospital what 00:06:30.449 --> 00:06:35.949 what did you find to be the most surprising elements 00:06:35.949 --> 00:06:38.129 of that visit for you and the work that's being 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:39.970 done there you mentioned patients you mentioned 00:06:39.970 --> 00:06:42.569 social value all of the difference this is making 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:46.269 yeah What did you find most surprising? Well, 00:06:46.290 --> 00:06:47.810 I don't think it's surprising, but I think it 00:06:47.810 --> 00:06:49.910 was a salutary lesson of the complexity of all 00:06:49.910 --> 00:06:52.449 of this. And I think that's one of the things, 00:06:52.470 --> 00:06:54.769 particularly if you're kind of working on policy, 00:06:54.949 --> 00:06:57.410 it all sounds very easy on paper, doesn't it? 00:06:57.449 --> 00:06:59.490 And sort of, oh, well, you give the money, then 00:06:59.490 --> 00:07:02.129 it can get sorted out, off you go. Whereas actually, 00:07:02.170 --> 00:07:03.610 obviously, when we went around the hospital, 00:07:03.829 --> 00:07:07.050 you've got patients there, you can't compromise 00:07:07.050 --> 00:07:11.209 care. the work that went in to try and make sure 00:07:11.209 --> 00:07:13.569 all this work, which was incredibly technical 00:07:13.569 --> 00:07:16.329 and detailed and sort of, well. transformative 00:07:16.329 --> 00:07:19.170 for the hospital but has to be done without getting 00:07:19.170 --> 00:07:21.970 in the way the clinicians without you know interrupting 00:07:21.970 --> 00:07:25.189 the patient's experience without turning things 00:07:25.189 --> 00:07:27.949 off or causing you know undue havoc so I think 00:07:27.949 --> 00:07:29.769 although you sort of know that actually seeing 00:07:29.769 --> 00:07:32.410 on the ground and you know therefore the real 00:07:32.410 --> 00:07:34.629 collaboration which I was really impressed with 00:07:34.629 --> 00:07:36.910 between the teams working on from the hospital 00:07:36.910 --> 00:07:39.470 to their energy partners as they called them 00:07:39.470 --> 00:07:42.129 and sort of all the teams working the engagement 00:07:42.129 --> 00:07:44.610 that the estates team in the hospital have with 00:07:44.610 --> 00:07:46.879 the clinic to make sure that everyone understood 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:49.259 because even within a big organisation obviously 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:51.899 you know one of the things was the estates team 00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:54.759 haven't necessarily got the clinical knowledge 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:57.120 or know when the theatres are needed so even 00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:59.459 within the John Radcliffe itself there was a 00:07:59.459 --> 00:08:01.360 huge amount of collaboration between different 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:04.019 teams added to that the sort of the contractors 00:08:04.019 --> 00:08:06.579 and the other people working on it so that was 00:08:06.579 --> 00:08:09.220 really impressive and just sort of you know then 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:12.079 seeing the actual gains afterwards of the improvement 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:14.180 in the experience that patients have had but 00:08:14.180 --> 00:08:17.740 the real organisation the real technical focus 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:19.879 to detail that has to happen in order to deliver 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:22.360 a project and I think that's one of the great 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:25.420 things for our teams and I'm sure you know people 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:27.379 working in Salix find is being able to get under 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:30.120 the skin of a project it's not just about providing 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:32.360 the money and saying off you go it's actually 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:34.860 helping to deliver something that's really complex 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:37.139 and I think the learnings around that are really 00:08:37.139 --> 00:08:39.320 important to go back to government so that they 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:42.480 understand. some of the complexities around it 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.299 and sort of can make the schemes as user -friendly 00:08:45.299 --> 00:08:47.600 as they can be absolutely i think when i go on 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:49.639 those visits particularly if i accompany delivery 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:51.779 team members and i look at how they've worked 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:54.179 with that project right from the start and yes 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:57.289 we're on tight deadlines and yes The project 00:08:57.289 --> 00:09:00.389 has to have an end date. But actually, the project 00:09:00.389 --> 00:09:02.690 doesn't stop there, does it? There's a hospital. 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:04.470 I know that John Radcliffe was talking very much 00:09:04.470 --> 00:09:06.490 about future proofing and what's going to happen 00:09:06.490 --> 00:09:08.629 in 10 years and 20 years to sites like that. 00:09:08.789 --> 00:09:11.610 So absolutely fascinating and lovely to accompany 00:09:11.610 --> 00:09:15.049 you on that visit, too. So going back to the 00:09:15.049 --> 00:09:17.730 social impact is we're looking at massive challenges 00:09:17.730 --> 00:09:21.009 as we face climate change, climate crisis. You 00:09:21.009 --> 00:09:23.350 turn on the news, it's in our faces every day. 00:09:23.909 --> 00:09:26.649 whether it's inequalities, pandemics, resource 00:09:26.649 --> 00:09:30.450 pressures, can government face these challenges 00:09:30.450 --> 00:09:32.970 alone? No, I don't think government can face 00:09:32.970 --> 00:09:35.090 these challenges alone. I mean, it's a partnership. 00:09:36.409 --> 00:09:38.029 Everyone's got to be brought in, which I think 00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:40.169 is why there's such a focus as well on making 00:09:40.169 --> 00:09:42.490 sure you take the public and organisations with 00:09:42.490 --> 00:09:44.549 you. This isn't something that could be done 00:09:44.549 --> 00:09:46.289 to people. It's something that we all have to 00:09:46.289 --> 00:09:48.570 face and work collectively together. But of course, 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:50.789 government has a critical role. It's got a critical 00:09:50.789 --> 00:09:53.389 role about helping to lead the way, about showing 00:09:53.389 --> 00:09:55.870 what the priorities are. And also, to be honest, 00:09:56.009 --> 00:09:58.450 in a time where money's tight and people are 00:09:58.450 --> 00:10:00.269 facing costs of living, it's also about helping 00:10:00.269 --> 00:10:02.450 people. be able to make the right choices and 00:10:02.450 --> 00:10:04.470 to actually be able to take a step in that direction 00:10:04.470 --> 00:10:06.710 so i think absolutely government can't do it 00:10:06.710 --> 00:10:09.289 alone but i think it has an important role to 00:10:09.289 --> 00:10:12.129 play in direction and leadership and also facilitating 00:10:12.129 --> 00:10:14.990 and encouraging and also shining a light on good 00:10:14.990 --> 00:10:17.110 practice that's happening again one of the great 00:10:17.110 --> 00:10:19.169 things about our organization is we've got so 00:10:19.169 --> 00:10:22.389 many excellent projects to point to excellent 00:10:22.389 --> 00:10:24.730 learnings to help other people be able to address 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:26.769 the challenge because i think sort of saying 00:10:26.769 --> 00:10:28.789 oh it's all scary it's all so big it's all so 00:10:28.789 --> 00:10:30.950 difficult it can actually make it quite difficult 00:10:30.950 --> 00:10:32.909 for people to think about how in their lives 00:10:32.909 --> 00:10:34.889 they can engage in it how in their organizations 00:10:34.889 --> 00:10:37.490 they can really make a difference and i think 00:10:37.490 --> 00:10:40.070 government and organizations like salix have 00:10:40.070 --> 00:10:41.970 got the chance to sort of show it is possible 00:10:41.970 --> 00:10:45.470 and you can take small steps which can help with 00:10:45.470 --> 00:10:47.470 the sort of broader ambition, but actually also 00:10:47.470 --> 00:10:50.529 then improve the working environment, the lives, 00:10:50.750 --> 00:10:53.669 you know, the environment that you on an everyday 00:10:53.669 --> 00:10:56.470 basis are working in. So I think, you know, that's 00:10:56.470 --> 00:10:59.009 what we all need to do to pull together. Now, 00:10:59.049 --> 00:11:01.970 of course, you've talked about the net zero conversation. 00:11:02.450 --> 00:11:05.049 And the reason, one of the reasons I wanted to 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:07.129 mention your work with the New Schools Network 00:11:07.129 --> 00:11:09.710 is because obviously that's all about young children. 00:11:09.850 --> 00:11:11.710 That's all about children setting up free schools, 00:11:11.870 --> 00:11:14.039 giving... more children opportunities that they 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:16.600 might not otherwise have had in in learning in 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:18.840 those learning environments but of course the 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:20.519 younger generation are very much part of this 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:23.019 conversation the zero conversation and we go 00:11:23.019 --> 00:11:24.679 into schools i'm not sure if you've been into 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:27.059 a school yet and seen a school project not a 00:11:27.059 --> 00:11:31.639 school project you will because they are certainly 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:33.440 the leaders of the future and there seems to 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:35.399 be a lot of clarity over what children have to 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:38.559 say about that um and and indeed the younger 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:41.200 generation have been fundamental in this whole 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:43.320 conversation in keeping it in the news as well 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:47.159 to a certain extent we've seen that um should 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:50.779 climate change the discussion around climate 00:11:50.779 --> 00:11:52.519 change and all of those issues do you think it 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:54.200 should be fixed into the national curriculum 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:56.360 is it something that you feel that children should 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:59.860 be learning and talking about every day just 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:01.879 like we are when we turn up when we turn on the 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:04.200 news i mean i certainly think it is You know, 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.059 it is such a big conversation, something young 00:12:06.059 --> 00:12:08.080 people are interested in. I'm not sure I'd necessarily 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:10.740 mandate it because you could mandate lots of 00:12:10.740 --> 00:12:12.980 things. But I think actually if you go and talk 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:15.799 to schools and go and visit, visit schools around 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:17.179 the country, actually looking at what they're 00:12:17.179 --> 00:12:18.919 teaching is something that is starting to be 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:22.039 embedded. I know my niece has just finished a 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:24.820 degree in geography and geography today is a 00:12:24.820 --> 00:12:26.639 world away from what I studied as geography. 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:29.559 And in fact, issues like climate change, regeneration, 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:32.669 all of that actually is now, I think. actually 00:12:32.669 --> 00:12:35.389 taught in a way that perhaps for me it wasn't 00:12:35.389 --> 00:12:38.070 so I certainly think it's issues that are raised 00:12:38.070 --> 00:12:41.370 within sort of various different subject matter 00:12:41.370 --> 00:12:42.889 at schools and it's something young people are 00:12:42.889 --> 00:12:44.889 interested in and I know although I haven't been 00:12:44.889 --> 00:12:47.029 to a project myself I'm chatting to Kevin while 00:12:47.029 --> 00:12:49.389 we're at the hospital about actually the engagement 00:12:49.389 --> 00:12:51.769 that Salish projects have with the young people 00:12:51.769 --> 00:12:53.789 in the schools that they're in I think he was 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:56.909 talking about One school he visited where, you 00:12:56.909 --> 00:12:58.590 know, the children went out and saw the heat 00:12:58.590 --> 00:13:01.330 pump being put into place. And then, you know, 00:13:01.330 --> 00:13:03.330 there was lots of celebration and explanation 00:13:03.330 --> 00:13:06.250 about what was happening. And actually the teachers 00:13:06.250 --> 00:13:08.470 were able to use what was practically happening 00:13:08.470 --> 00:13:11.269 in the school to improve it, to then talk to 00:13:11.269 --> 00:13:14.250 children about engineering or about how heat 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:16.450 works or about how you deal with climate change. 00:13:16.529 --> 00:13:20.340 So I think one of the other... and sort of uplifting 00:13:20.340 --> 00:13:22.259 things about some of the projects we'll do is 00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:24.639 actually engaging with the people involved in 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:26.620 it. And obviously on a school setting, that's 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:28.379 a lot of the pupils who can then go back and 00:13:28.379 --> 00:13:30.639 tell their parents excitedly what they've done, 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:32.720 which may make their parents then start to think 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:33.919 about what they can do at home. They actually 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:35.799 do go home and tell their parents to switch off 00:13:35.799 --> 00:13:38.820 the lights. They do. So it is fantastic. And 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:41.360 it also, of course, it opens their eyes to careers 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:43.700 and opportunities and different ways of doing 00:13:43.700 --> 00:13:46.139 things. And we know that, I mean, this area is 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:48.159 going to be a huge growth area. terms of future 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:50.620 jobs it's one of the things when you talk to 00:13:50.620 --> 00:13:52.899 businesses and I think looking at sort of some 00:13:52.899 --> 00:13:55.000 of the things that we want to do is the skills 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:58.100 gap with not having enough qualified people to 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:01.740 retrofit to get involved in this I was on a select 00:14:01.740 --> 00:14:06.480 committee looking at 16 GCSE type education in 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:10.080 the House of Lords and one of the themes that 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:11.899 came through the evidence we had consistently 00:14:11.899 --> 00:14:14.700 was the lack of skills and sort of the importance 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:17.419 that the kind of retrofitting the climate agenda 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:19.919 is going to have on jobs in the future and how 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:22.320 we're just not really geared up to do that so 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:24.080 I think that is a conversation that's happening 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:26.679 and I think it's something that as young people 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:29.679 are interested hopefully they will look at careers 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:32.059 within this area which can then address some 00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:34.000 of the skills gaps that we're facing at the moment. 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:36.820 At Salix we're certainly finding that when we 00:14:36.820 --> 00:14:39.309 do go out on visits to colleges and further education 00:14:39.309 --> 00:14:41.750 centres where young people are engaged in those 00:14:41.750 --> 00:14:43.590 projects and have actually ended up coming back 00:14:43.590 --> 00:14:45.610 and working on some of those projects as well. 00:14:45.629 --> 00:14:49.149 So fantastic. So we're very positive and I don't 00:14:49.149 --> 00:14:53.490 want to turn to the negative, but it's a serious 00:14:53.490 --> 00:14:56.090 discussion. We're talking about net zero. You 00:14:56.090 --> 00:14:59.549 chair a board of an organisation focused on helping 00:14:59.549 --> 00:15:02.009 public sector and across housing reach net zero. 00:15:02.210 --> 00:15:05.340 Can we get there? We can get there. It's going 00:15:05.340 --> 00:15:07.480 to be very challenging. And I think we constantly 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:09.539 need to be reassessing ourselves and sort of 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:11.519 making sure that we're not setting ourselves 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:13.940 up to fail. I think we do need to be realistic. 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:16.879 But I think coming together and working in partnership, 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.440 we can get there. There are some very, very challenging 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:21.759 targets. I don't think there's any point in denying 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.120 that. And whether we can quite hit them exactly, 00:15:24.379 --> 00:15:27.679 I'm not going to stake my house on it. But I 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:29.639 think working together, we are making progress. 00:15:29.960 --> 00:15:32.740 And it's about sharing the best practice. It's 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:34.809 about learning from ourselves. experience it's 00:15:34.809 --> 00:15:36.549 always more difficult when you start off and 00:15:36.549 --> 00:15:38.590 it's something completely new but within our 00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:40.730 organization now we've been running schemes for 00:15:40.730 --> 00:15:42.909 several years and we can use that to improve 00:15:42.909 --> 00:15:45.210 things and obviously technology is constantly 00:15:45.210 --> 00:15:47.889 improving you know as we go through we only hearing 00:15:47.889 --> 00:15:50.730 about in the news today new AI happening which 00:15:50.730 --> 00:15:54.230 is thrown American AI up in the you know up in 00:15:54.230 --> 00:15:56.289 the air and so you know things are developing 00:15:56.289 --> 00:15:59.429 so I don't think we should be depressed about 00:15:59.429 --> 00:16:01.190 it or worried but I think you know we need to 00:16:01.190 --> 00:16:03.009 be realistic but what we do need to do is take 00:16:03.009 --> 00:16:05.269 people with us and we need to understand the 00:16:05.269 --> 00:16:06.870 context that we're working with and there is 00:16:06.870 --> 00:16:09.429 no question you know we are in difficult economic 00:16:09.429 --> 00:16:11.730 times we've obviously got a different approach 00:16:11.730 --> 00:16:15.179 in America now as well and we'll see what potential 00:16:15.179 --> 00:16:18.039 impacts that might have. But I think we continue 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:20.240 the positive work and you can continue to show 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:22.139 the benefits. And it's about talking about the 00:16:22.139 --> 00:16:24.820 benefits as well. It's not just a cost on people. 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:26.940 It's not just forcing people to change behaviour 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:29.879 for the sake of it. It's actually for good, both 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:32.720 for them and for the climate generally. And I 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:35.019 think it's about making sure we... keep those 00:16:35.019 --> 00:16:37.519 strong positive messages at the forefront as 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:39.659 well thank you and if we certainly have all of 00:16:39.659 --> 00:16:42.039 those positive messages and all of that energy 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:45.139 and ambition from people like you and you know 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:47.840 within Salix talking about Salix and within our 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:51.539 teams we indeed we can get there it's just a 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:53.759 journey and that's that collaboration and innovation 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:57.500 that you talk about for you so you've had a highly 00:16:57.500 --> 00:16:59.519 successful career you're having a highly successful 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:02.779 career and you're obviously enjoying it But what 00:17:02.779 --> 00:17:05.160 next for you in terms of your profession? What 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:09.160 next? What's your next step? Well, to be honest, 00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:11.339 I've never had a roadmap, if I'm being honest. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:13.480 I always seem to have sort of gone from one thing 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:15.819 to another. And where it's taken me, I can't 00:17:15.819 --> 00:17:19.019 complain. So I haven't got sort of a definitive, 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:21.220 this is where I want to get to. But, you know, 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:22.720 obviously in this coming year, it's going to 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:26.319 be an incredibly exciting year for... Salix there's 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.460 lots going on around lots of new government priorities 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:31.140 so helping the organization to navigate that 00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:33.619 and make sure that we continue to showcase the 00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:36.380 fantastic work that we do and I'm enjoying the 00:17:36.380 --> 00:17:38.640 sort of variety of things I'm involved in now 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:41.299 so I'm still involved in issues I'm interested 00:17:41.299 --> 00:17:43.779 in in the Lord so recently spoken on education 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:46.400 for instance but I'm also really enjoying using 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:49.920 my kind of knowledge and understanding of how 00:17:50.650 --> 00:17:52.930 the world of Whitehall and Westminster works 00:17:52.930 --> 00:17:55.950 in a more sort of commercial and business context 00:17:55.950 --> 00:17:58.970 and trying to use that for good so I'm hoping 00:17:58.970 --> 00:18:03.349 to continue with a sort of varied array of roles 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:05.710 going forward. Super. Well, we look forward to 00:18:05.710 --> 00:18:08.329 following this journey that you're on. And obviously, 00:18:08.430 --> 00:18:10.569 we're very privileged and very proud to have 00:18:10.569 --> 00:18:13.049 you as chair of our board at Salix. Thank you. 00:18:13.549 --> 00:18:16.369 Thank you to Natalie. There can be no doubt that 00:18:16.369 --> 00:18:17.990 climate change is the biggest challenge of our 00:18:17.990 --> 00:18:20.769 time. Today, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions 00:18:20.769 --> 00:18:23.750 to slow global warming. Today, we must act for 00:18:23.750 --> 00:18:25.710 tomorrow, adjusting our lifestyles to current 00:18:25.710 --> 00:18:28.009 and future impacts of climate change. Today, 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:30.289 we must use our collective wisdom to deliver 00:18:30.289 --> 00:18:33.500 on our climate commitment. Today, we work for 00:18:33.500 --> 00:18:36.000 tomorrow's world. Don't forget to subscribe to 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:39.640 our podcast and send any views, news, ideas to 00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:42.019 our podcast email box. And that's podcast at 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:45.640 salixfinance .co .uk. But I really would like 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:48.039 to thank Natalie today for taking the time to 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:50.420 talk to us about your work. Thank you. It's a 00:18:50.420 --> 00:18:53.099 pleasure. Thank you. You've been listening to 00:18:53.099 --> 00:18:56.200 the Decarbonisation Dialogue, a podcast from 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:59.609 Salix. For more information about our work and 00:18:59.609 --> 00:19:03.369 to find more content, please visit salixfinance 00:19:03.369 --> 00:19:06.109 .co .uk forward slash podcasts.