As part of its strategy to broaden the competencies of its board to support its new phase of growth, the MCS Foundation has welcomed three new trustees to help oversee the charity’s work towards a carbon-free future for all UK homes.

David Pinder, Rebecca Ritchie, and Matthew Billson bring a wealth of experience in the net zero, energy, and housing sectors, as well as experience in Government, to The MCS Foundation.

The three new trustees are joining The MCS Foundation at a time of growing ambition and increased delivery in crucial year for our sector, with the Government’s Solar Roadmap, Warm Homes Plan, and Future Homes Standard all due in 2025. They will be formally appointed to the Board in June.

David Pinder holds and has held senior leadership and board-member roles across the heating and net zero buildings sector for over a decade. He is a member of the Healthy Homes and Buildings APPG Advisory Board, a founding board member of the National Retrofit Hub, Chair of the Green Construction Board, and a member of the Construction Leadership Council (Net Zero and Biodiversity lead). He was formerly CEO of Baxi Heating UK.

As Head of Sustainability at the Clarion Housing Group, Rebecca Ritchie brings insight and experience on decarbonising homes in a way that works for people. Rebecca has also worked as an Energy Manager for public services and is an expert in strategic leadership, communications, and community engagement for net zero.

Matthew Billson is a former senior civil servant responsible for delivery of a major £600m capital expenditure portfolio of net zero innovation projects. Matthew brings over 20 years‘ experience in central government, including as Deputy Director for Energy Innovation Strategy at the Department of Business, Innovation & Industrial Strategy. Matthew has also served as Programme Director for the Energy 2050 Institute at the University of Sheffield. Matthew is currently Director of Market Strategy at an energy flexibility scale-up.

Fabio Nehme, Chair of the Trustees at The MCS Foundation, said: “We are delighted to welcome three highly experienced and expert trustees to the board, expanding our competencies and further equipping the board to guide The MCS Foundation in the years ahead as we increase our ambition and accelerate our impact.

“David, Rebecca and Matthew are all very seasoned professionals with complementary capabilities and experiences to the current board. They are widely respected across the energy, net zero and housing sectors. The MCS Foundation team, and our mission to achieve a carbon-free future for all UK homes, will benefit hugely from their presence.”

Garry Felgate, Chief Executive of The MCS Foundation, said: “The MCS Foundation has made great progress in recent years, with heat pump installations reaching record levels and a series of policy commitments from Government to support further growth in domestic renewables. Yet we must accelerate massively to meet the demands of net zero. I very much look forward to working with the new trustees in that task.”