Award Winners 2025

Laura was recognised for her work in promoting sustainable practices in business and promoting sustainability in finance and accountancy. Laura is a sustainable finance expert and a co-founder of Sustainability Works, a B-Corp certified consulting firm whose mission is to help Ireland unlock the financial, economic and social opportunities that come from sustainability.

Having trained in tax and accounting, Laura became Head of Tax for Airtricity, advising on pioneering renewable energy financing transactions in Ireland and abroad. Laura then returned to KPMG as Director of Tax where her activities included advising on renewable energy and energy efficiency transactions. With over 20 year’s professional experience across practice and industry, Laura is passionate about advancing the green and sustainable finance in Ireland.  She does this because the financial sector has a key role to play in tackling our global sustainable development challenges, including our decarbonisation targets in Ireland, and because there are jobs opportunities for Ireland in this high-growth financial services sub-sector. 

Wexford Town SEC’s mission is to reduce energy usage and reliance on fossil fuels, through a just transition to increase energy efficiency and sustainable energy sources. This is being achieved by raising awareness, empowering local communities and direct actions in Wexford Town.

Wexford Town SEC pioneered a new way of working in deprived areas to address fuel poverty through their innovative Warmer Homes Project. They created the project in response to in-depth surveys carried out with households to identify their pressing issues, and using the research to identify and overcome challenges that impact the take up of grants that offer assistance. This project secured funding for an 'Energy Champion' to ensure that a trusted local person delivered the messaging around home energy retrofits which was deemed to be a key element to this project's success. To date this project has supported over 100 SEAI Warmer Homes Grant applications and 28 homes have completed retrofit works to date.

The project has developed key insights they are sharing with other SECs in relation to best practice in carrying out home energy retrofits in areas of deprivation and has made a significant impact on locals understanding of energy use, tackling energy costs and energy poverty and reducing carbon footprints.

9 White Deer Brewery is a microbrewery in Ballyvourney in the Mhúscrai Gaeltacht dedicated to brewing and packaging high-quality beers for the Irish market. They are a small business taking real, measurable steps to decarbonise through smart investment, engineering-led innovation, and a culture of continuous improvement. Rather than relying on symbolic gestures or carbon offsets, they’ve implemented systems that tangibly reduce energy use, emissions, and waste.

They’ve installed solar PV, smart-enabled thermal and chilled water systems, and on-site nitrogen generation, all contributing to lower fossil fuel dependency and enhanced process efficiency. These aren’t isolated upgrades—they form an integrated energy strategy that they monitor, adapt, and continuously improve.

Beyond energy savings, the project has increased staff engagement, strengthened their operational resilience, and reinforced their brand’s commitment to sustainability. Their approach has created a more robust, future-ready brewery without compromising product quality or value. This project showcases how rural Irish SMEs can lead by example, not through greenwashing, but through pure dedication to people, process, and planet.

Bus Éireann is Ireland’s national bus company. In 2024 Bus Éireann launched Ireland’s first fully electric regional city bus service in Limerick.

With a substantial €54million investment from the National Transport Authority, this project enables Bus Éireann to operate over 2.1 million emission-free kilometres annually across Limerick city services. A total of 35 charging stations, equipped with 70 charging guns, are installed at the Roxboro depot, now hosting 55 state-of-the-art double-deck battery-electric buses, supported by a significantly enhanced ESB Networks grid connection.

The project has delivered substantial environmental and service benefits, significantly enhanced the customer experience, contributing to a positive shift in public perception of bus transport, thereby encouraging modal shift and increasing passenger numbers, which are projected to exceed 5 million in 2025.

This achievement establishes a benchmark for sustainable public transport across Ireland. The insights gained from the Limerick project are informing similar upcoming initiatives in other regional cities like Cork, Galway, Dundalk, Navan, and Sligo.  This demonstrates Bus Éireann’s leadership and commitment to a broader transition to zero-emission public transport nationwide. 

The Defence Forces is one of the largest energy users in the public service, making up approximately 7% of public sector emissions.

The Defence Forces face a unique and complex challenge in achieving emissions reduction targets, due to their operational reliance on fossil fuels and the need to maintain readiness for crisis response on a contingency basis. Nevertheless, the organisation has consistently demonstrated leadership within the public sector, meeting energy consumption and efficiency targets since the baseline year and actively embracing the challenge of decarbonisation.

This commitment reflects a clear recognition that decarbonisation is not only essential for contributing to national climate goals but also presents an opportunity to enhance energy independence, modernise infrastructure, and deliver new operational capabilities in an increasingly unpredictable global climate.

The Defence Forces place a strong emphasis on engagement with external stakeholders, both nationally and through broader international platforms. In collaboration with ESB Major Projects, the organisation will conduct a Hydrogen Power Unit trial at Lynch Camp, Kilworth in September 2025. This innovative project will demonstrate the capability to operate a military camp entirely off-grid using 100% renewable energy.

The Markree Castle Hotel is a 4-star hotel located in Collooney, Co. Sligo and is set in five hundred acres of wood and farmland. Originally constructed in the 14th century, the building as it stands now was constructed in the 17th century. It was extensively refurbished in 2017 by the present owners.

As a building listed on the National Built Heritage Service, the hotel is limited in the upgrade interventions that it can implement as its internal fixtures and fittings are protected. They installed a wood biomass boiler system through SEAI’s Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH). Overall, they’ve seen an 82% reduction in  CO₂ emissions and €155,000 savings on their energy bills.

Markree Castle has demonstrated that even in very old, protected structures with the right approach and investment; building operators can deliver smarter, greener, more sustainable facilities. Four hundred years ago, this building was heated by wood, now they have gone back to their roots to help reduce their environmental impact and safeguard the environment for future generations to enjoy.

Boston Scientific is a global medical technology leader. Collaborating with the University of Galway and SEAI their goal was to identify a robust and credible energy efficiency design methodology applicable to the design and development of machines to manufacture medical devices. The Agent Commercial Coater Project involved the design and construction of a high-capacity, multi-line coating machine developed to support the manufacture of AGENT™, a drug-coated balloon (DCB) used in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

The Agent High Capacity Coater exemplifies an innovative approach to machine design through the application of Irish Standard IS399:2021. While IS399 has traditionally been applied to enhancing the energy performance of buildings and infrastructure, Boston Scientific have extended its use by embedding it into the project methodology for all equipment engineering initiatives at their Galway site. This project marks the first full lifecycle application of energy-efficient design principles to a manufacturing machine.

A key differentiator of this project was the depth of insights generated throughout the process, which have since informed and reshaped their engineering design methodology for future energy efficient machine development.

The Agent High Capacity Coater achieved EXEED Certification in Dec 2024, the first EXEED to be awarded to a machine design.

Kepak is an Irish based food company serving international markets, restaurants and household foodservice names with prime cuts of meat, food service solutions and ready for market convenience food. They are founding members of Origin Green, Ireland's pioneering food and drink sustainability programme, since 2012, achieving gold membership for the last 3 consecutive years.

Shortlisted for their energy management, commitment, training, staff engagement, energy mapping, energy mass balancing, cost analysis, idea generation and change management. They have installed wind turbines, solar and heat pumps that have all been critical to decarbonisation. Kepak places strong emphasis on building a culture of energy efficiency first, ensuring they are not investing in technology to decarbonise energy that is then wasted.  

The level of expertise gained enables their staff to make better decisions, when it comes to this progression. This approach has proven that opportunities multiply as they are seized. They are also making decisions now, that will deliver change in 2026 and 2027. 

Maura leads the Board Committee on Finance, HR, and Capital Development Committee (FHRCDC) charged with oversight of the MU Strategic Plan (2023 -2028)  Implementation and the Board stewardship of the Maynooth University Sustainability Agenda.  

Under the guidance of FHRCDC and her leadership, Maynooth University will transition to a full standalone Sustainability Statement aligned to Consolidated Financial Statements for reporting in March 2026. This transition was championed at board committee (FHRCDC) and approved by Governing Authority. 

MU has already achieved the 2030 target of a 50% energy efficiency improvement from the 2009 baseline year and is one of the few HE institutions to be on target to achieve the 2030 decarbonisation goal of 51% reduction in carbon emissions from the 2016-18 baseline years.  

Maynooth is the designated decarbonisation town for County Kildare, chosen because of the presence of the University and the latter’s leadership on the Sustainability Agenda. The Green Campus Committee works with staff and students on interventions that they can make on the environment. One such example is that It runs a ‘circular initiative’ where students leaving campus residences can deposit household consumables such as cutlery and kettles and the next intake of students can borrow from this facility.  

Roger is a member of the Executive Team in Norther Ireland Electricity and led the development and implementation of the new People, Planet, Places Plan 2025–31, a refreshed strategy that enables better transparency through alignment with EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requirements. This plan spans 11 core sustainability topics and embeds broader ESG reporting objectives. It involved over 60 staff contributing to the co-creation of annual plans, actions that collectively reflect a step-change in how sustainability is governed, embedded, and delivered across the organisation.  
 

Their Board’s sustainability agenda is deeply embedded in their mission, “To Deliver a Sustainable Energy System for All” and aligned with their strategic objectives to develop a sustainable network that meets Northern Ireland’s needs. 

A “sustainable conscience” now shapes decision-making at every level—from planning the electricity network developments to circular use of materials—fostering a culture of cohesion, innovation, and accountability. This has been strengthened by linking sustainability to digitalisation, safety, and cultural transformation to reduce waste, improve quality, and enhance their environmental handprint. 

Their ESG reporting strategy has enhanced investor confidence, allowing them to raise funds on international bond markets (£350M in April 2025) and maintain a strong credit rating based on their sustainability credentials.

Maynooth is Kildare's Decarbonising Zone (DZ) and according to data the town's residential sector is the highest source of greenhouse gas emissions. To leverage action in this area the council created the DemoHouse as an educational and communications tool.

The DemoHouse is a 1990s social housing unit that's been transformed into a living example of energy efficiency, universal design, and climate and biodiversity resilience. During its refurbishment the oil central heating and open firmware replaced by an air-to-water heat pump. The fabric retrofit involved the installation of new insulation on internal walls. Airtightness was improved through work done on the external walls and first floor ceiling, and through the replacement of double-glazed windows with triple glazing. Internal air quality was improved by the introduction of a heat recovery ventilation system, while an EV charger and PV panels further support sustainable energy within the home.

Homeowners are often baffled and confused about the steps they need to take to retrofit their homes. The DemoHouse meets this need by acting as a communications tool and venue where people can go to see, feel and get information about home energy upgrades and retrofitting.

SE Systems is a trusted provider of energy upgrades for homes across Ireland. In 2024, they upgraded 354 fuel-poor homes, delivering energy savings of 3.2 million kWh for vulnerable households. Their retrofit at the Lion House - Douglas property achieved exceptional BER uplift and benefited from a tailored funding strategy that accelerated the upgrade process.

They transformed 18 dwellings for Lion House, providing a deep retrofit that significantly improved life for elderly and vulnerable residents. These homes had long relied on inefficient electric storage heating, resulting in high energy bills. SE Systems offered a One Stop Shop service, managing everything from Design and Project Coordination to Health and Safety and Grant Facilitation, ensuring a seamless and efficient upgrade process.

The retrofit was comprehensive. Air-to-air heat pumps replaced outdated systems, solar PV panels were installed, and insulation was added to walls and attics. New high-performance windows and doors, mechanical ventilation, and BER assessments ensured the homes were energy efficient. Before the retrofit, the homes averaged an E1 BER rating; afterwards, they achieved an A1 rating.

Completed in just 47 working days, this project now stands as a benchmark for Lions Group Housing Associations across Ireland, with many planning to follow suit. 

The Recode project is carried out in partnership with SharedTurbine, led by Declan Collins. SharedTurbine is an Irish SME which has developed a very practical model for developing, financing, constructing and operating renewable energy projects in collaboration with local communities.

Recode addresses one of the most urgent and overlooked challenges in Ireland’s energy transition, how to meaningfully engage communities in renewable energy development. By combining policy analysis with real-world stakeholder engagement, Recode has delivered original, actionable recommendations that address policy, financial and social barriers to community participation.

The impact of Recode is already visible through its support for the formation of a new national community energy advocacy group; by influencing policy discussions and contributing to a live co-ownership pilot with SharedTurbine.

Uniquely Recode brings together academic research, on-the-ground collaboration, and strategic policy engagement to provide informed, practical outcomes. Recode’s focus on equity, energy justice and citizen participation directly supports Ireland’s climate, Just Transition and EU RED II obligations. This project represents research with immediate relevance, long term impact and the potential to recode how clean energy is developed in Ireland. If awarded, the bursary would be used to build on Recode’s momentum and expand its impact.