Mr. Simon Trace

Simon Trace is the Chief Executive of Practical Action (formerly the Intermediate Technology Development Group, founded by E.F. Schumacher in 1965).  He has nearly thirty years’ experience in international development and took up his current post with Practical Action in 2005.
A Chartered Civil Engineer with an MA in the Anthropology of Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies, his career has focused on the practice of technology in sustainable development. He has worked across East, West and Southern Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Simon is a trustee of the European Environment Foundation and the Chair of the boards of Practical Action Consultants and Practical Action Publishing.
Practical Action has well over thirty years of experience working on the ground to improve access to energy in the developing world and, through its consulting company, providing policy advice to governments and international institutions. For the past 5 years it has been publishing, in partnership with UNDP, the annual Poor People’s Energy Outlook report which has gained sector wide recognition.