Mark Gainsborough

Mr. Mark Gainsborough spent 39 years with Royal Dutch Shell where he held various senior appointments, his last appointment being Executive Vice-President (EVP) and head of Shell’s New Energies business. He was responsible for building and acquiring positions in renewable power generation, electricity supply, energy storage, hydrogen, advanced biofuels and nature-based solutions. Prior to this he was EVP Global Commercial, leading Shell’s Lubricants, Bitumen, Jet Fuel, Marine Fuels and Sulphur businesses.

After retiring from Shell in 2020 he founded Low Carbon Advisors, a business that helps boards and CEOs to navigate the path to net zero carbon emissions. He is currently a board member of companies engaged in large-scale renewables, energy access through distributed generation and advanced plastics recycling. He serves on a number of advisory boards including Beyond Net Zero, an Energy Transition investment fund. His past professional interests also include the healthcare sector, serving for five years as a non-executive director of one of the UK’s National Health Service Trusts. He has also served as a board member of the European Petroleum Industry Association.

Mr. Gainsborough completed a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy in 2008 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from University College, London. He is a Fellow of the UK Energy Institute.