Mike Townsend

Mike Townsend is a leading sustainability speaker, circular economy expert and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Earthshine Group, a consultancy dedicated to accelerating sustainability transformations. With more than forty years of experience across engineering, procurement, supply chain management and sustainable business strategy, he is trusted by organisations seeking to embed practical, commercially viable sustainability solutions.

Beginning his career in the water industry, Mike developed strong technical foundations, rising to Principal Engineer. He later completed an MBA in Strategic Procurement Management at the University of Birmingham, where he also worked as a Research Fellow leading a global study across Japan, the USA, Europe and the UK. This work culminated in the publication of Strategic Procurement in Construction, establishing his early authority in procurement and infrastructure strategy. Mike went on to hold senior roles, including Senior Procurement Manager at the Environment Agency and Development Manager at Mace Group, where he led initiatives in lean construction, strategic procurement and supply chain management. He later founded Opps Consulting, delivering process re-engineering and supply chain solutions that achieved cost savings exceeding 10 per cent while improving performance. Following a merger, he became CEO of Newpoint Consulting, driving rapid growth and building a strong reputation for excellence in procurement and business transformation. A pivotal shift in 2005 led Mike to refocus his work on sustainability. Recognising the environmental impact of traditional efficiency-driven models, he redirected his expertise towards developing solutions that balance commercial success with environmental and societal outcomes. This led to the founding of Earthshine Solutions in 2006, where Mike set about integrating sustainability principles into the heart of business strategies and decision-making, operational practices and supply chain performance – working with clients across UK, North America and Europe. In 2020, the company rebranded as Earthshine Group, moving HQ to Copenhagen – the beating heart of the sustainability revolution – with a renewed focus on accelerating circular sustainability and circular economy transformations, in response to the scale of the climate challenge and the very limited timeframe for meaningful action.

Alongside his consultancy work, Mike has contributed to academia as faculty at DIS Copenhagen and as an advisory board member at the University of Oslo. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. Mike is responsible for co-authoring ‘Strategic Procurement in Construction’, lead authoring ‘A Journey in Search of Capitalism’ and ‘Don’t Waste Your Time on Net-Zero’, as well as writing the forthcoming ‘The Quiet Revolution’. He is a recognised thought leader and regular contributor to Edie.net, Sustainable Brands, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, Medium, and many more.

As a keynote speaker, Mike is recognised for translating complex sustainability challenges into clear, actionable strategies. Drawing on real-world projects with organisations such as Aviva, Barclays, eBay and British Airways, he equips leaders with the frameworks needed to transition towards circular and regenerative business models. His engaging, evidence-led delivery ensures audiences leave with both clarity and confidence to act. Mike has delivered influential talks at leading industry events such as the Aviva Sustainability Summit, the IKEA Circular Economy Keynote, the EY Risk Conference, the National Sustainability Summit and Circular Economy UK. Known for his engaging and thought-provoking delivery, Mike equips business leaders with practical frameworks and actionable strategies that enable them to embed sustainability within procurement, operations and long-term corporate strategy.