Sonya Bedford MBE
Trustee and 2018 CAT Graduate
Sonya graduated from CAT’s renewable energy MSc in 2018 and is currently Head of Energy at Stephens Scown LLP and a CAT trustee.
Our graduates go on to a variety of jobs and opportunities using the skills and experience they've gained on our courses. They go onto make a real difference, helping to bring about the changes our society needs to create a more sustainable future.
CAT has regular contact with employers in the sustainability industry who are looking for employees with the knowledge and skills that CAT provides. We keep students and graduates up to date with opportunities from employers through our social networking platforms.
Graduates who have also set up their own businesses or are currently working in the sector also provide students and graduates with career opportunities.
Students join our postgraduate courses from a range of different backgrounds, with some already working in the sustainability industry or having experience working within community energy projects, ecological studies, climate action, sustainable building events and more.
This provides students with a broad understanding of a variety of careers and shows how they can apply their studies to their chosen fields. Many graduates also return to guest lecture at CAT as experts in their fields which provides invaluable networking and learning opportunities to current students.
Sonya graduated from CAT’s renewable energy MSc in 2018 and is currently Head of Energy at Stephens Scown LLP and a CAT trustee.
Steve runs Addasu, where he combines his academic research with extensive experience in new-build and renovation projects in the UK (and Ghana) to offer informed, practical and appropriate training, advice and construction services.
Tom is CEO of Adaptavate, an award-winning company rethinking and redesigning the way building materials are produced, used and disposed of. Along with another graduate of CAT he set up the company shortly after graduating.
Ffion graduated in 2019 from our Sustainable Food and Natural Resources course. She is now working towards a PhD focusing on agroecological approaches to managing ash dieback at the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience at Coventry University.
Lizzie has been practicing sustainable construction for over 20 years, on her own projects and as a consultant, designer and builder, in Wales and in Spain.
Karen graduated in 2018 after taking the majority of her modules via distance learning. She is now a Senior Design Officer in the Climate Change team at Architecture & Design Scotland.
Samuel completed a Postgraduate Diploma at CAT in 2015. He is now the Climate and Carbon Support Officer at Shropshire Council where he focuses on buildings efficiency, implementing energy efficiency and renewable generation in both rural and built environments (primarily public-owned buildings) throughout the county.
Tiziana graduated from CAT's Sustainable Architecture Part 2 course in 2019. Alongside her job as an Architectural Assistant, Tiziana is currently working on a collaboration project amongst practitioners in the industry, called RE-FABRICATE.
Jenny works as a Senior Development Manager at the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) in Bristol. Before studying at CAT she worked as a freelance events manager.
Jake graduated from CAT in 2015, he now works as a Sustainable Design Advisor for the award-winning Hawkins/Brown architecture firm in London.
Roshan is a Principal Architect at Ávása Architects in Kerela, India. Having studied with us through distance learning on our MSc in Green Building course she is steering her small architecture firm to adopt and experiment with the sustainable ideas and materials she learnt about on the course to find suitable solutions for ongoing design and build projects.
Graduating from CAT in 2012 James worked at a number of architecture practices as a sustainability consultant before moving into his current role at WSP as a Senior Sustainability & Carbon Consultant.
Kirsty began Building Together CIC with fellow CAT graduate Robert Thompson after graduating from our Sustainable Architecture course. In 2019 Kirsty also won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award category at The Scottish Women’s Awards.
Before studying at CAT, Lucy had trained as a professional dancer and actress and volunteered on conservation reserves and community projects in South Africa and Malawi. After graduating with an MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation in 2019 she now works as a Freelance Sustainability Consultant.
Sustainability in Energy Provision and Demand Management graduate Richard had a background in finance prior to studying at CAT. He now works for a social enterprise that provides financial advice to investments that have a positive impact on nature.
Before graduating in the autumn of 2019 from our MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation Planning, Sarah was elected as a Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Neighbourhood Services at Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Ceri Fielding graduated with an MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation Planning and now works as a consultant on sustainable building and retrofit policies.
Guillermo had a background in architecture and refurbishing historical buildings in Spain before his studies at CAT yet he felt he lacked the technical knowledge to tackle environmental issues in his work. To fill this knowledge gap he chose our Green Building course and after graduating in 2021 he now works at PYC a sustainable construction company based in mid-Wales.
Joe began to study CAT’s Sustainability and Behaviour Change MSc in 2019 and graduated in 2021. A chemist by training, studying at CAT provided Joe with the opportunity to move from a background in environmental chemistry towards broader sustainability issues and social science.
Julian is a CAT graduate who graduated in 2013 with a Professional Diploma in sustainable architecture. He is the founding director of a small architectural studio in Cornwall specialising in sustainable architecture called STUDIO/gather. The team at STUDIO/gather is specifically made up of all CAT alumni who have all gravitated to work at a practice with an ethos of touching the earth lightly and the team is also growing to include more designers and technicians to focus on sustainable architecture principles and to design with a purpose.
After working in the energy sector for 30 years with the last 17 in oil and gas, Justin began his studies at CAT in 2020 to facilitate a move into the renewable energy sector, Through his studies, he supplemented his current knowledge and experience of the issues at hand in the energy transition to use this in both UK and global spheres, through his independent electrical engineering consultancy, Trydanol Solutions.
Sandy began our MSc in Sustainability and Behaviour Change in 2019 after attending a Zero Carbon Britain course inspired her to pursue further studies at CAT. Since graduating in 2021 she is now working on a PhD at Aberystwyth University, within the area of environmental behaviour change.
Want to find out more about our postgraduate courses and the opportunities they offer? Join an Open Day to find out more and to talk to current students and staff from the Graduate School or get in touch with our team for more information.