ICE Autumn Prestige Debate 2025

David Porter

David Porter is director of engineering with the Department for Infrastructure, which is Northern Ireland’s highways authority. In this role, he is also the chief highways engineer and head of the civil engineering profession in the Northern Ireland civil service.

Porter is responsible for the development of the department’s professional and technical staff, engineering policies and standards, and health and safety. He also leads on procurement and the internal consultancy.

Previously, he was chief executive of the Rivers Agency, Northern Ireland’s flood defence and drainage authority.

Porter has served on the ICE Council three times, twice as the Northern Ireland representative and once as a general member. He is a trustee who, until recently, held the learning society portfolio. He has also served on several institution committees and panels.

A fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering, Porter was awarded the Poskitt Medal by ICE Northern Ireland in 2017 and the President’s Award by Engineers Ireland in 2018.

Dr Shaun Benzon

Since joining the Mersey Tidal Power project in 2019, Shaun Benzon has led on delivering its technical and environmental workstreams, working with international organisations on the scheme and supporting its wider promotion. 

With a PhD in mechanical engineering from Lancaster University, he has 14 years’ experience in hydropower projects, working in areas including modelling, testing and manufacturing. His previous employers include Mott MacDonald and Gilkes, a producer of hydroelectric turbines.  

Benzon is an adviser to two tidal R&D initiatives. The first is Cardiff University’s Target research project, which is exploring the potential of tidal range schemes as configurable grid-scale energy storage facilities. The second is a Jacobs-led consortium developing a so-called very low head turbine to improve the viability of tidal projects.

Dr Andrew Garrad

Having built his first windmill in his parents’ field in 1971, Andrew Garrad has been professionally involved in wind energy for 45 years. In 1984 he co-founded the Garrad Hassan Group, which grew into the world’s largest renewable energy consultancy, with 1,000 employees working in 29 countries, by the time he retired. 

Garrad has served as chair of the British Wind Energy Association and president of the European Wind Energy Association. He also chaired the Bristol 2015 European Green Capital initiative. 

In 2024 he was appointed as chair of the independent Severn Estuary Commission. The same year, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering together with Henrik Stiesdal for their work on high-performance wind turbines. 

Holding a DEng from the universities of Bristol and Exeter, Garrad is a visiting professor of engineering mathematics at Bristol and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Peter Kydd

With more than 45 years’ experience as an infrastructure consultant, mainly with Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP), Peter Kydd continues to advise WSP on matters such as tidal power and decarbonisation.

He has written numerous papers on these subjects and is a seasoned conference presenter on all aspects of tidal energy.

A founding member of the South West Infrastructure Partnership, Kydd served as its chair in 2020-23. He also chaired the South West Marine Energy Park in 2012-16.

More recently, Kydd has been a technical adviser on tidal power to the Severn Estuary Commission. He has also worked extensively for the Crown Estate, the West of England Combined Authority and the governments of Wales and the UK. 

Kydd is a Fellow of the ICE. In 2024 the institution awarded him its Gold Medal for engineering excellence.

Kate Gilmartin

Kate Gilmartin is a leading proponent of hydropower, including pumped storage and tidal range technologies, as a crucial part of the UK’s energy transition.  

Serving as CEO of the British Hydropower Association since 2022, she brings deep expertise in renewable energy to the role, having gained an MSc in the subject from the Centre for Alternative Technology and the University of East London. 

Gilmartin believes that achieving net zero CO2 emissions is vital for enhancing UK energy security, reducing costs and shielding households from price shocks. She advocates a whole-system approach to hitting this goal.  

Drawing on years of leadership in the community energy sector, Gilmartin champions strategies that provide tangible local benefits and make a national impact. She is a founder and director of Community Energy England and holds non-executive directorships with GB Energy and Rossendale Valley Energy, a Lancashire-based community benefit society spearheading the Net Zero Terrace Streets project.

Dr Paul Ellsmore

Paul Ellsmore joined ORE Catapult’s Glasgow team in October 2013 and moved down to Wales twelve months later, with the task of creating a meaningful operating presence in the country, working closely with Welsh government. 

He continues to lead ORE Catapult’s regional activity in Wales and is the programme manager for the Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE) – an £11m, five-year project based in Pembroke Dock.

Prior to joining Catapult, Ellsmore worked with the Energy Technology Partnership, a Scottish initiative supporting engagement between innovative SMEs and Scottish universities. His broad technology background – from power electronics, through cryogenics to laser and optical technologies – enables him to rapidly assess opportunities for both technical and process innovation.

Kabindra Dhakal

Kabindra Dhakal is a manager in the analysis and insights team at ORE Catapult. His team is responsible for conducting economic and financial assessments for offshore renewable energy projects, as well as providing market intelligence and thought leadership to the sector. 

Previously, Dhakal worked as a development economist, specialising in economic and financial assessments, socio-economic analyses, policy development and business-case writing across a range of sectors.