A word from Zemo's new acting MD, Jonathan Murray

Jonathan Murray, Acting Managing Director, Zemo Partnership

I'm excited to take on the leadership of Zemo Partnership at a critical time in the transition to decarbonised transport. The power sector has decarbonised rapidly over the last decade, leaving the transport sector as the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. While we can see most of the technology pathways, along with demand side measures, that can get us to our ultimate net zero transport destination, there are still many challenges and barriers to negotiate.  

Zemo is an impartial, evidence-based, not-for-profit organisation. We don't have any technology 'dog in the race' so our guidance to policymakers is rooted in the evidence, provided via a thorough review of the best available information and complemented by detailed, in-depth consultation with our expert members.

I believe we're unique because of our unbiased viewpoint and through the breadth of perspectives provided by our membership, as well as the depth of expertise that we can call upon to inform our recommendations.

Zemo’s strategic direction is determined by our Board, and informed by the independent Council for Net Zero Transport, chaired by Lord Deben, which Zemo convenes, and by our Members Council, which ensures that the discussions held within our working groups are properly represented.

Under my leadership, Zemo will be building on all these strengths as well as our reputation as a leading voice in the transport decarbonisation space in the UK for well over twenty years.

As Claire Haigh mentioned in her last column for GreenFleet as Zemo’s Managing Director, late last year we published a key report, the Delivery Roadmap for Net Zero Transport in the UK. Developed in partnership with our members, the report identifies the main barriers to be tackled and broad policy approaches to be taken. We’re now working with members and key external stakeholders to develop a Map of Missing Policies, which dives deeper into the detail of the policies and actions needed now. We expect to publish the report during summer 2025.

We recently announced the central themes of our 2025-6 work programme which will further develop ideas set out in the Delivery Roadmap, which will be taken forward through Zemo’s working groups.

In fact, we’ve just announced a new series of working group meetings which are the 'engine rooms' of our activities and which serve to develop and 'road-test' ideas.

Some readers of GreenFleet magazine are already amongst our membership, but if your organisation isn’t already a member there’s never been a better time to join us and find out what policy changes are coming down the road, as well as playing your part in the vanguard of the transition to decarbonised transport in the UK!