John Pilkington

John joined Carbon8 Systems in 2017 following his extensive experience in managerial and director positions. He trained as a civil engineer at Cambridge University, where he specialised in structural dynamics. He was a director for 20 years at international engineering consultancy, Ove Arup & Partners, leading project teams in Hong Kong, Bahrain, Qatar, France, Germany and the UK, before joining UK’s largest construction company, Tarmac/Carillion plc, as development director for large PFI and PPP projects. Here he worked in health, education and defence, including the redevelopment of GCHQ in Cheltenham, before moving to support services company, Amey plc, as its head of strategy and thereafter, Managing Director of the group’s investment businesses.

John has held a number of senior non-executive director roles including chair of finance lender, GBSH plc, chair of labour supplier, Fortel Services Ltd, and chair of engineering consultancy, BWB Holdings Ltd. He was also a non-executive director on the board of the manufacturing company, Alumasc plc, and a member of its audit and remuneration committees.

John has been chair of the CBI working group on Procurement & PFI, and of the Bradford Local Education Partnership. He advised HM Treasury’s agency, Partnerships UK, on how to stimulate the housing sector, and worked on the Department for Education & Skills’ £45 billion Building Schools for the Future programme. He is a member of Acumen7, a network of business leaders and investors, has been a visiting professor at both the London School of Economics and ESADE business school in Barcelona, and is a mentor to members of the Cambridge University Entrepreneurs Society.