Speaker Bio
Phil is an integral part of the FCDO’s new Technology and Innovation Unit, which, through research, funding and partnership building, aims to apply Tech and Innovation to address global challenges at scale. Phil leads the Ideas to Impact programme, the Carbon Value Exchange Project and is the climate lead across the tech and innovation portfolio.
Phil has extensive experience working at different points across the technology, development and climate sectors. Building on 10 years as a software developer in the telecoms and energy sector, Phil has worked for DFID, now FCDO, for 8 years, the last 7 of which were based in Africa (Mozambique, Sudan and then Senegal). He’s designed and run large off-grid energy and WASH programmes, and more recently grappled with the climate challenges of the Sahel, including providing UK technical support to the 5 Sahel country delegations to COP26. As a particular area of interest, Phil has worked to understand and support fragile states to access climate finance, and is passionate about how tech can disrupt and democratise flows of finance. Phil holds a Masters’ in Engineering from Cambridge (UK) and a Hydrology Masters from Imperial (UK).