Phil Le Gouais is an EIA specialist (and self-confessed EIA geek) with over 25 years of experience managing environmental risk on infrastructure projects around the world. His career has included being Practice Lead for Impact Assessment within a global consultancy, advising on environmental and social risk and due diligence for internationally financed projects, and working within government in both project finance and consenting roles.

This diverse career has given him experience of EIA from a range of perspectives, including developing and reviewing assessments for major infrastructure projects on behalf of developers and project sponsors, assessing environmental risk for project funders, and considering environmental information from a decision-making perspective.

He is currently an Operational Lead in the Planning Inspectorate’s Environmental Services Team, which provides expert input on EIA matters for applications and appeals handled by the Inspectorate.