Chris Hines

Chris Hines is a leading British sustainability expert, environmental campaigner, and keynote speaker with more than three decades of experience driving change across business, government, and grassroots movements. Best known for his role as Sustainability Director at the Eden Project and as co-founder of Surfers Against Sewage, he is widely hired as a sustainability speaker for corporate events, leadership conferences, policy forums, and industry summits. Organisations bring Chris in not just for his credibility, but for his ability to translate complex environmental challenges into practical, actionable strategies that businesses can adopt immediately.

A passionate surfer, he witnessed first-hand the damaging effects of pollution on the UK’s coastlines, which led him to co-found Surfers Against Sewage. Over a decade, he helped transform the organisation into a powerful force for marine conservation, tackling issues from sewage pollution to climate change. His advocacy took him to influential platforms, including the UK Parliament and European policy forums, where he presented solutions and pushed for systemic change. This hands-on campaigning experience allows Chris to share sustainability insights that are grounded in real-world action, giving audiences practical tools, proven strategies, and the confidence to implement meaningful environmental change within their own organisations.

Chris later moved into senior sustainability leadership, most notably at the Eden Project. As its first-ever Sustainability Director, he was responsible for embedding environmental principles into one of the UK’s most high-profile educational and tourist destinations. He developed large-scale strategies aligned with international sustainability goals and led innovative projects, including the creation of a sustainable surfboard using materials sourced from the Eden biomes. His success in aligning commercial operations with environmental responsibility led to his appointment as a Special Advisor to the UK Government on environmental issues. This combination of corporate strategy and policy experience gives Chris a rare ability to connect activism, business, and government, offering audiences clear insight into how meaningful, large-scale environmental change can be achieved.

Chris has continued to expand his impact through his consultancy, A Grain of Sand, where he focuses on solution-driven environmental change. Awarded an MBE for services to the environment, he remains a prominent voice in sustainability, further highlighted by his portrayal in the Channel 4 docu-drama ‘Dirty Sewage’, which brought renewed attention to water pollution issues in the UK. Today, his keynote talks draw on decades of real-world experience, offering audiences clear frameworks for implementing sustainable practices and driving meaningful change.

Chris Hines is a uniquely credible sustainability speaker whose career spans grassroots activism, corporate leadership, and government advisory. He combines practical experience with strategic insight, helping organisations move from intention to action. He is particularly well-suited for corporate sustainability events, ESG and CSR conferences, environmental policy forums, leadership summits, and industry events focused on climate action, innovation, and responsible business practices. To hire Chris for your next event, contact the Sustainability Speakers Agency today!