Mr Farrow will replace Gill Weeks who had been working as ESA's acting director of policy since April, having been seconded from waste management firm Veolia Environmental Services.
During his time at the CBI, Mr Farrow has been responsible for policy work on environmental issues ranging from climate change, waste, environmental regulation and energy policy.
In 2009, he chaired a session on managing commercial and industrial waste at Futuresource – the annual waste conference and exhibition organised by the ESA and professional waste body the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM).
Notable achievements include his work lobbying on the Renewable Heat Incentive and writing the CBI's 2009 report ‘Decision Time: Driving the UK Towards a Sustainable Energy Future', giving him a firm grip on issues surrounding renewable energy and energy-from-waste.
This will be important as last month, the ESA called for the government to take a “more active stance” on energy-from waste as part of a document setting out its policy priorities, entitled “Driving change: Policy proposals for a greener government” (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mr Farrow's current role as head of energy, transport and planning at the CBI also fits with the ESA's ongoing efforts to secure improvements to the planning system to help get more waste facilities off the ground (see letsrecycle.com story).
Background
Between 2004 and 2009 Mr Farrow was the CBI's organisation's head of energy and environment. Before this, he was head of policy at CBI Scotland in Glasgow for five years, where he was responsible for all the policy drives pursued by the organisation on behalf of its members, including transport, environment, skills and economic development.
Earlier in his career, between 1990 and 1999, he worked in a range of policy roles at the CBI's headquarters in London, including education and training, the growth of smaller firms and tourism.
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