Rachel Bunn is skills and innovation director at East Coast College, which has campuses in Lowestoft, Suffolk and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. She is also director of the East Coast Energy Training Academy in Lowestoft.

Rachel has worked at East Coast College for 25 years and has a deeply rooted commitment to the region.

She is passionate about strong school engagement, ensuring young people are exposed early to the breadth of opportunities available locally, and that pathways into skills, employment and careers are visible, credible and achievable.

With a focus on curriculum innovation, Rachel is continually evolving the college’s offer to remain relevant, future-focused and employer-led.

This sees it working closely with industry partners to co-design learning provision that reflects current skills gaps, emerging technologies and workforce behaviours, while building the transferable skills, confidence and resilience that employers value.

Such an approach helps employers grow sustainably while ensuring learners are genuinely work-ready.

The judges praised Rachel’s “exemplary leadership at the intersection of skills, sustainability and community impact”.

They added: “Under her stewardship at East Coast College, she has established effective pathways aligning education with the region’s rapidly developing clean energy sector.”

Rachel said: “It’s really important to acknowledge this award is a celebration of the East, of the energy skills. It’s not just about me as an individual,

I work with amazing people, I work with amazing employers, and it’s all about inspiring people for what they could do.

“There’s huge potential in East Anglia, there’s more opportunities now in the sustainability sector, we just need to shout about it!”

For more information on the East Anglia Clean and Green Awards, please visit cleanandgreenawards.co.uk

To learn more about all of the winners, please click here.

John Best has grown several organisations across the energy, marine, waste, safety and retail sectors. He also founded the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR).

In 2016, John launched Best Proactive, enabling him to collaborate widely across the energy sector, and also created the Coastal Energy Internship Programme for students.

The judges said John has “consistently opened doors for businesses and individuals alike”, delivering “measurable outcomes for young people”.

In his role as executive chair of EEEGR, which he has held since September 2023, Kevin Keable is spearheading an ambitious programme to position the region as a leader in the energy transition.

His career has spanned more than 40 years across engineering, entrepreneurship and international operations.

The judges said Kevin has demonstrated “outstanding sector leadership and collaborative influence across the East of England’s energy community”.

A partnership of local authorities including the county councils of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and East Suffolk Council, GENERATE’s mission is to attract energy-related investment and deliver sustainable job opportunities to people and businesses in the East of England.

Since 2021, it has profiled the region’s investment opportunities, ports and energy supply chain capabilities to national and international audiences, raising awareness of key infrastructure projects and generating enquiries from supply chain businesses keen to become part of the East of England’s energy sector.

© Eastern Daily Press