Rachael Owens and Sara Edmonds have been appointed as Co-Directors for the National Retrofit Hub, who take over from Russell Smith, interim Director, in mid-July.
Both are experienced architects who have actively collaborated to improve climate literacy and collective action in the drive to decarbonise the built environment.
Working closely with the Hub’s Chair, Lynne Sullivan OBE, and the board, Rachael and Sara will manage the operational plan required to deliver the strategy.
Commenting on their appointments, Rachael and Sara shared their enthusiasm for the opportunities available via the work of the Hub to support the retrofit sector in tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis:
We both feel passionately that the hub should support and uplift the action that is already being taken towards retrofit at scale, rather than duplicating work. The hub will be an approachable space for collective engagement. We cannot wait to speak more with the people embedding retrofit within their activities and hope to facilitate clearer routes for the work that needs doing.
The Hub has the potential to build trust across the industry and beyond, creating a shared, co-written consensus of how to tackle retrofit at every scale and level.
Rachael maintains her role as Head of Sustainability at Buckley Gray Yeoman and Sara maintains her role as Head of Citizen Engagement at Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (both on a part-time basis).
