The Board

Chairman, Michael Huntingford
Michael is a director of Zero Carbon Marine Limited, a specialist developer of renewable energy projects. He is currently involved in developing a major offshore wind project and a longstanding, small onshore scheme. Between 2001 and 2008 Michael spent much of his time working on the London Array offshore wind project in the Thames Estuary. Prior to this period, Michael worked for the Commonwealth Development Corporation in Zambia and with KPMG in Belgium, Italy and Malaysia. Michael is a qualified Chartered Accountant and lives with his family in North Devon.


Peter Capener
Peter has worked in the sustainable energy field for nearly 25 years, including seven years as Chief Executive of the Centre for Sustainable Energy. Since resigning from CSE in 2002 due to family illness, Peter has worked as an independent advisor on a range of energy efficiency, renewable energy and fuel poverty projects for various private, public and voluntary sector clients.

Peter was instrumental in setting south west regional and sub-regional renewable energy targets and the development of regional renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies. As well as working locally with communities on energy issues, Peter is chair of Bath Community Energy, a community enterprise and has been involved in many national community support initiatives. Peter is also judge for the Ashden Trust’s UK Sustainable Energy Award, a trustee of the Centre for Sustainable Energy and a council member for the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes. Peter has an MSc in Energy Resource Management.


Charles Couzens
Charles Couzens is a director of Ecos Maclean Ltd. He is a specialist in environmental management, with twenty years' experience in the sector. He has worked as an environmental co-ordinator at Bedfordshire County Council and a project manager with the Woodland Trust, The Wildlife Trust and the Soil Association.


Alan John
Alan is a partner with Osborne Clarke solicitors. He works in Bristol and is head of the firm's Energy & Environment Group, a position he has held since 1990. He and his team have particular expertise in advising on renewable energy strategies for property development and a range of renewables projects including wind, solar, landfill gas, biomass and biofuel, and geo-energy.

Alan's experience ranges from involvement in microgeneration schemes to some of the largest windfarm projects in the UK. Alan has had a longstanding and close involvement in renewables in the South West, his first renewables project being Carland Cross windfarm in Cornwall over 20 years ago.


Jonathan Johns
Jonathan is Director and Principal of ClimateChangeMatters Limited, a consultancy that specialises in mentoring a limited number of businesses on the opportunities and challenges posed by climate change. He is also principal of Jonathan Johns consulting whereby he provides thought leadership and speaking services to the renwables waste and cleantech industry. Previously he was Head of Ernst and Young's award-winning Renewables, Waste and Cleantech team which he founded. He also founded Ernst and Young's influential renewable energy country attractiveness indices for which he remains guest lead article writer and is a regular speaker and chair at renewable energy and waste conferences.

Jonathan has advised on over $3 billion of renewables and waste transactions on three continents, he has written a number of reports to government on energy policy and testified to the US senate on energy policy. Jonathan is a chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor.

Executive directors

Merlin Hyman
Merlin is responsible for the overall management of Regen SW, the development of its work programme, relationships with key regional and national partners, and for providing public leadership for sustainable energy. He has led Regen’s successful transition from public funding to an independent centre of expertise in renewable energy; driving forward ground-breaking projects that demonstrate what can be achieved and unlock new investment in the sector.

Merlin was previously a director of the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC), where he championed the views of the environmental technology and services industry to the government. He helped lead the debate about to how to ensure that British companies succeed in the rapidly growing worldwide market for low-carbon products and services. Merlin holds an MSc from Lancaster University in European Environmental Policy, and an Honours Degree from the University of Bristol.

Cheryl Hiles
Cheryl is responsible for Regen SW's broad programme of activity to support the delivery of sustainable energy in the region. She works with both the public and private sector to create an environment attractive for investment in sustainable energy and continues to be proactive on planning and policy issues, where she has led a number of successful initiatives to improve policy and practice within the region.

Cheryl began her career as the planning and environmental policy advisor at the South West Regional Assembly, where she was instrumental in setting up the REvision 2010 project to establish sub-regional renewable energy targets. She holds a first class Honours Degree in Geography and Applied Economics, and an MSc in Sustainable Environmental Management. Cheryl was a Trustee of the Centre for Sustainable Energy, a national charity based in Bristol, from 2005-2011.

Johnny Gowdy
Johnny Gowdy joined the team in November 2008 to head up our extended business support programme, and is now head of supply chain development. He comes from a background in management consultancy, having been a partner with the global consultancy firm Accenture, were he worked within their energy practice. He has worked with many companies in the UK and abroad, mainly within the oil & gas and utility sectors. He has a wide range of business and commercial experience, especially in the area of supply chain and business process improvement. Johnny is a graduate from Queens College, Oxford University with an Honours Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.