M&C Clients Pledge to Reduce Emissions by 1 million tonnes

About 60 people gathered together last week in The Hague for our inaugural 2-day conference.  The event was organised primarily for our international clients with the purpose of creating a platform for them to meet and exchange their ideas, experiences and views.

The event was held in the Kurhaus hotel in The Hague (a client of McKinnon & Clarke’s) and customers were treated to a wide range of speakers covering a variety of subjects.

An overview of the economy by the Chief economist of ABN Amro, Han de Jong, turned out to be a positive kick-off with all indications pointing to the fact that we may expect a better 2010 financially. This set the tone for the next speaker who introduced the role of Risk Management in energy purchasing activity, the developments in the gas market in the coming years and a specifically focused on the LNG-markets. These speakers also came equipped with positive messages, certainly from the perspective that the gas sources will last for a long time, especially when taking into account the development of Shale-gas sources, not just in the USA but also in Europe.

The actual energy exchange element of the event took place through clients, sponsors, speakers and M&C staff meeting with each other. Many of these conversations went on into the wee hours!

The second day began with the question “Centralised or decentralised purchasing, what’s best?” and Danny Loa of Ernst & Young explained that there is a place for both in any organisation but finding the correct mix and balance between the two can be the tricky part.

The rest of that day was centred around the environmental aspects of energy. A panel of experts looked at Carbon Management from both a European and an American angle, with input on sustainability from Tom van Ierland of the European Union.  The panel then led a discussion with the participants to discuss the particular issues faced by M&C’s clients.

Marc Cornelissen, a Dutch explorer of the North and South poles wrapped things up.  Marc highlighted environmental issues by illustrating very clearly the drastic changes in the ice fields in the space of a few years, but also helped put this in perspective by referencing historical developments to these areas over the centuries. 

This all led Simon Northrop, Chairman of M&C’s closing speech which appealed to all those present to reduce their collective carbon emissions by 1 million tonnes over the next 12 months. This will be measured and the results to be presented during the second annual conference next year.

We are confident that our clients, with M&C’s support will achieve this goal and we look forward to reporting on the results at next year’s event.

The views expressed in the posts and comments of this blog do not necessarily reflect those of McKinnon & Clarke or and of its subsidiaries. No information on this blog will be understood as official. McKinnon & Clarke uses their website to express the official opinions and activities of the company.