Phil has worked for more than 30 years in a variety of policy, research and practitioner roles focussed on international development, energy and climate in developing countries. Phil has particular interests in energy access, especially modern, clean cooking, as well as transition to clean energy and the implications and opportunities for developing countries, in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Currently, Phil is a Director for Climate Impact Partners working on the development of energy access projects supported with finance through government-to-government carbon trades under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. Previously Phil was, between 2016 and 2022, Senior Energy Adviser in the Climate and Environment Division of UK Government’s FCDO (and before that DFID) where his focus was on policy issues related to energy, climate and low carbon development policy and strategy, provision of policy and programme-related advice across FCDO/DFID and HMG on just energy transitions and green growth. Roles included responsibility for a £40mill programme using results-based financing to build markets for low carbon energy access in 12 developing countries, reaching 5.8 million people. Before being a UK civil servant, Phil worked at GIZ in Germany leading a programme providing clean energy policy advice to African Governments. Prior to that Phil worked at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) as a researcher and at the European Commission (energy policy adviser in DG Development), focussed on energy policy in developing countries. Early in his career, Phil had a variety of roles managing UK Government and IEA energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes. Phil started work as a volunteer teacher (VSO) of physics and maths in a rural school in Sierra Leone, where his interest in energy and development began.
Phil originally graduated in Physics and Philosophy from Nottingham (1986), followed by an MSc in Environmental Change and Management (1999) and a DPhil on the transition to clean cooking energy in India (2012), both based at the ECI in Oxford.