Gary Walpole | Co-Director of the Regional Innovation and Regeneration Centre
Cardiff Metropolitan University

Dr Gary Walpole is Co-Director of the Regional Innovation & Regeneration Centre at Cardiff Met and Director of the award winning Circular Economy Innovation Communities (CEIC) project. The award winning CEIC project has created a circular economy ecosystem across South Wales through regional collaborative innovation networks in the form of programme communities of practice to support organisations to develop new service solutions that implemented Circular Economy (CE) principles. CEIC has developed 385 professionals’ innovation knowledge and skills from 256 organisations across Wales. The participants have reduced costs and their carbon footprint, saving an average of 230,141 tCO2 and £190,991 per annum, outlined within video case studies.   He previously directed the ION Leadership (ESF funded) programme at Swansea University that developed 1947 leaders and managers from over 1000 organisations across Wales.  Prior to that he was director of The Centre of Excellence of Leadership & Management Skills in Wales (Welsh Government funded) at Cardiff University.  He has thirty years’ experience in business and education, with twenty-five designing and delivering innovation and leadership programmes for Higher Education Institutions. Gary is a strategic organization development practical academic with an outstanding record of conceptualizing and leading multi-partner, multi-million-pound projects.  He has in-depth knowledge and skills of designing and delivering Circular Economy, innovation and leadership programmes that develop organisations, facilitate change and enhance productivity.  He has published widely on leadership, innovation and organisational development.