Sustainability campaigner, Mary Portas OBE, has been announced as headline speaker at the Yorkshire Sustainability Festival 2024.

In a bid to encourage businesses to think twice about sustainability and come together to achieve ethical growth, Mary Portas OBE will be heading up the speaker stage on day one of Yorkshire Sustainability Festivals’ two day conference hosted later this year. Last month, Kevin McCloud MBE was announced as keynote speaker for day two.

Kate Hutchinson, Founder of Yorkshire Sustainability Festival (YSF), said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have both Mary Portas and Kevin McCloud joining us for Yorkshire Sustainability Festival 2024. Mary will be taking to our speaker stage on day one of the conference which focuses on circular economy and I couldn’t think of anyone better to represent this category."

"Mary’s passion and determination for driving innovation and conscious change for the good of our planet is persistent and I can’t wait to hear what she has to say.”

“There’s no doubt that Mary will deliver an inspirational talk which is sure to set off lots of lightbulb moments (powered by sustainable energy of course!) for our audience of leaders from the public, private and third sector.”

High profile businesswoman, Mary Portas OBE, famously known for her brand & retail expertise, is also a successful broadcaster, author and is Co-Chair of Better Business Act, an organisation set to change UK legislation for people, planet and profit. She is a relentless changemaker who asks questions, raises complex topics and has the conversations that people shouldn’t be avoiding if we want to live in a more sustainable environment.

In a recent documentary with Kevin McCloud (speaker at day two of YSF) and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, The Great Climate Fight, Portas and her co-hosts suggested that despite the Government having a plan to combat climate change, they’re not taking the action required to meet those goals within the set timeframes.

The Yorkshire Sustainability Festival is a two week festival of events (10th-19th June) featuring various round table discussions and a two day conference will bring together leaders from the public, private and third sectors all passionate and committed to building a sustainable future for Yorkshire and beyond.

Mary Portas OBE will be speaking at day one of the conference, held at Cloth Hall Court in Leeds. The first day of the conference will be focused around a circular economy with tracks including manufacturing, SME support, economy and finance and waste.

Key sponsors and partners of the event to date include: Leeds City Council, Alrose Productions, Beyondly, boxxe, Imageco and Severfield.